Keitaro, The Savant
by GlazedAndConfused
Summary: AU. What if the job of kanrinin was given to Keitaro Urashima, an autistic savant with a photographic memory and knack for sketching? Will the girls accept him? Will he cope with the new living environment? Inspired by the film 'Rain Man'. [Complete]
1. Visiting Hinata Sou

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

**DISCLAIMER**

What's with pointing out the obvious? I don't own Love Hina or Rain  
Man. Ken Akamatsu/TokyoPop own Love Hina, and Metro Goldwyn  
Mayer own Rain Man.

* * *

This fanfic is inspired heavily by the film 'Rain Man', but it is also based on my own personal experiences, as I myself have an autistic brother. For anyone who is unsure about what autism actually is, it's difficult to explain.

I'm sure I don't have to explain what Rain Man is about, as I'm assuming quite a few people have seen it, correct?

Anyway... I'll just get on with the damn thing.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"..." - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter One_ :::** _Hinata Sou

* * *

_

**((Hinata Sou, Front - ****10.21 am))**

It was a typical spring day in the small hot spring town of Hinata. The cool breeze blew the myriad of falling _sakura_ petals around, adding to the appeal and beauty of the surroundings of the senescent yet still majestic inn. This day was no different to any other at Hinata Sou, with the residents just carrying out their normal daily tasks. Motoko Aoyama, resident swordswoman, with her daily kendo training; Shinobu Maehara, resident cook and cleaner, hanging out everyone's washing; Kaolla Su, the enigmatic and hyperactive _gaijin_, just... well, being herself; Mitsune 'Kitsune' Konno, slacker extraordinaire, lounging around as usual, with her bottles of saké never too far away, watching the horse racing with bated breath; Naru Narusegawa, the _Toudai_ aspirant, studying non-stop to achieve her goal - to become a _Toudaisei_; and Haruka Urashima, matriarch of Hinata Sou, running her café.

All in all, it was a quiet and peaceful day, until...

"BAH!" Kitsune, the resident fox and conniver, gave a frustrated cry as she threw her racing paper and betting slips down onto the floor in defeat.

_Damn it, I lost another bet..._ she thought. _There HAS to be a way for me to make some easy money, somehow..._

Stretching her arms out, she stood up and slowly made her way to the front door.

_Hmm... I think I'll go down the bar for a drink._

She slipped her shoes and jacket on, and proceeded out the front door. As she stepped outside, she found a young man around the same age as her, wearing wire-framed glasses, a red jacket, blue denim trousers and black shoes, carrying a duffel bag. Looking lost, he was wandering around, gazing at the area around him. He seemed absorbed in the beauty of the surroundings.

_Who is that man? He seems lost._

Instead of approaching him the way she does with any other man, which is normally with a concealed hint of seductiveness, Kitsune approached the young man rather cautiously, then decided to speak to him.

"Um... hi," she started.

The young man didn't reply. He seemed absorbed in the beauty of the scenery around him.

"Excuse me," she said, "can I help you?"

He acknowledged her presence with an emotionless look.

"Hello," he replied in a monotone voice, holding his hand out for a handshake. Kitsune returns the offer by shaking his hand.

_Ugh..._ she shuddered at the deadpan tone in his voice. _I've heard zombies speak with more emotion than this guy..._

"What's your name?"

"Keitaro... Keitaro Urashima."

"Can I help you?"

"I visit here."

"Here?"

"Yeah. Hinata Sou; Kanagawa prefecture, Tokyo. Landlord Mrs. Hinata Urashima."

"How do you know this place?"

"I visit here."

"Are you sure this is the place you're meant to visit?" Kitsune asked, with a cross between suspicion and confusion in her voice. At this point, Naru came out, having obviously heard what was going on.

"Kitsune-san, who's there? I thought I heard you talking to a guy..." she trailed off as she noticed Keitaro standing there, starting to walk over to him. The look on her face turned into a scowl, her brown eyes narrowing as she stared at Keitaro. "What is this MALE doing here, at an ALL-GIRLS dormitory?" she hissed. "Is he a peeping tom, or a pervert?"

"Visiting. Visiting Hinata Sou." he replied, holding his hand out for a handshake again, not noticing the angry look given to him.

"Agh! What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed, swatting his hand away as she stared daggers at him. "Keep your hand away from me, pervert!"

"Hey, Naru... you don't have to be so harsh on him --" Kitsune began as she tried to reason with her, which is more often than not pointless, before she was interrupted.

"A pervert?" asked a voice from the living room. Turning to see who it is, Naru and Kitsune see Motoko, Shinobu and Su coming outside, also overhearing the commotion. She notices Keitaro, and narrows her eyes, a frown appearing on her face.

"Who is this man, Naru-_sempai_?" Shinobu asked, rather nervously.

"Hiyas! Are you here to play with me?" Su chirped loudly, bouncing around as usual.

"Keitaro, Keitaro Urashima. Pleased to meet --"

"You're a male." Motoko interrupted, "Males are not allowed here at Hinata Sou. What business do you have here?"

Keitaro stands there fidgeting with his hands, a blank look on his face.

"Hinata Sou. Visiting Hinata Sou."

"I shall now ask you to leave," Motoko replied, coolly, "if you do not comply, I shall show you no mercy."

Seemingly oblivious to everything she has said, he holds his hand out for a handshake for the third time. Motoko's frown turns to a scowl. Unsheathing her sword, she bats his hand away somewhat harshly. She then notices what looks like a camera in his other hand as he goes to walk inside the building.

"So..." she hissed threateningly, blocking his route with her _katana_, "...you ARE a pervert."

"Uh..." was the only coherent reply Keitaro could come out with.

"Motoko, don't you think you're being a bit too harsh on him?" Kitsune asked, with a hint of worry for the young man in her voice.

Naru stomped towards him, then grabbed him by the back of his neck. The reaction she got was one neither of the residents expected. Keitaro batted her arm away before pulling away rather vigourously, then raised his arms to his upper body in defence, dropping the camera in the process. Naru stared at him with her eyes widened, while Motoko narrowed her eyes to look even more menacing.

"You dare strike out at Naru-_sempai_?!" Motoko hissed in a low tone.

"That pervert... he just touched me with his hands!" Naru yelled, the look of rage etched all over her face. Both young women proceed to advance towards him with intent to harm, Naru with her fist raised and Motoko with her _katana_ at the ready. Noticing his camera on the ground, Motoko breaks it by slicing it in half with her _katana_. Just as Naru goes to grab him, Keitaro breaks away once again, but his reaction was different this time around. He then dropped to his knees, facing away from the two as he does so. He starts to rock back and forth, making loud, screeching sounds out of fright. Kitsune looks on in disbelief, Shinobu looking on with worry, and Naru and Motoko getting ready to attack the hapless young man. Su just drops to her knees and mimics Keitaro's movements.

"What's going on here?" came a voice from the top of the large stone steps leading towards Hinata Sou. The voice belonged to Haruka. She looked at each tenant questioningly; Naru and Motoko in particular, as they prepare to attack him.

"Haruka-_san_," began Naru, "we found this peeping tom trying to make his moves on Kitsune-_san_!"

"You need not worry," continued Motoko as she pointed her sword at him, the tip of the blade looming close to his head, "we will take care of him."

"Hey, he wasn't making any mov --" Kitsune tried protesting again.

"Hold it you two; I know who this man is." Haruka interrupted without looking at either at them. She then walked up to Keitaro, and placed a hand on his back, rubbing it soothingly. This seemed to calm him down, as he began to remove his arms and sit up lightly. "Keitaro," she cooed, softly, "it's ok. It's only me. It's Haruka."

Slowly but surely, he stood up, looking around, confused and worried, as he does so. When he notices that Naru and Motoko are still there, angry looks present and all, he runs and hides behind Haruka, peeking over her shoulder.

"Haruka-san..." Naru started to speak, confused.

"...Who is this pervert?" finished Motoko, equally confused, glaring at Keitaro.

"This 'pervert'," Haruka said, emphasising the word 'pervert' by staring icily at both Naru and Motoko, which made them both inwardly shudder, "is my nephew. His name is Keitaro. And I'd watch what I say about him in future, if I were in either of your shoes." She then turned to face Keitaro. "Keitaro, go into the lounge and watch some TV. I need to talk to everyone first, but I'll be with you in a minute." she said, speaking in the same soft tone.

"_H_-_Hai_..."

Keitaro pulled his sleeve up a little and looked at his watch to make sure.

"Uh oh, 1.28 pm... two minutes to 1.30. Time to watch TV..." Keitaro said, a slight hint of panic in his voice, trailing off as he enters the building. Naru and Motoko just stood there, looking at Haruka with stunned looks on their faces.

"Your nephew...?!" Naru and Motoko asked simultaneously, with disbelief, "You never mentioned anything about having a nephew..."

"I don't have to tell you everything, do I?" Haruka retorted, retaining that icy glare.

The tenants could only stand and look as Keitaro walks inside the building, proceeding to switch on the TV before sitting down on the sofa, slowly rocking back and forth as he flicks through the channels.

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER 1_ :::  
**

* * *

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Ok, not the best or longest of opening chapters but it'll have to do...

As always... please R'n'R. It helps, 'kay?

Till next chapter...

_- GaC -_


	2. Introducing Keitaro

**

* * *

::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

**

* * *

****DISCLAIMER**

Read Chapter 1...

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[...]" - denotes points of view  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Two_ :::** _Meeting Keitaro

* * *

_**  
[[Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 10.30 am]]**

The tenants of Hinata Sou had gathered in the kitchen, sitting at the table, as Haruka had called a house meeting, with all but Keitaro present. Naru and Motoko look at Keitaro as he is still sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. By looking at him, it would seem that he is so absorbed in the program he is watching that attempting to talk to him would be useless, unless you switched the TV off.

"So, why is he here?" asked Motoko, obviously annoyed by Keitaro's presence as she keeps occasionally glancing in his direction.

"The institution he stays at regularly lets him come here for monthly visits." Haruka replied calmly, lighting up another cigarette.

"Why?" Naru asked, confused by this, "don't they know that it's an all-girls dormitory?"

"By the way, Haruka-_san_," Kitsune continued, "you mentioned that he stays at an institution. Why is that? Is there something wrong with him?"

"Yes, the institution do know that this is an all-girls dormitory; Grandma Hina let them know. And, to answer your questions, Kitsune, there is something wrong with him. That's why he stays at the institution."

"What exactly is it that is wrong with him?" queried Motoko, "I see nothing wrong with him."

"The problem lies in his behaviour, Motoko, not his appearance. You see, he is an autistic savant."

"Is an autistic savant a snack? Does it taste good?" Su asked curiously. Everyone was already used to Su's unawareness of what is a snack and what isn't, so they heeded no attention to this particular occasion.

"I ask the same question as Su-chan." said Motoko, "What is this... autistic savant... of which you refer to?"

"Does it mean he's crazy?" asked Naru.

"No."

"Retarded?"

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain, but basically, it means he has certain deficiencies and abilities."

"So he is retarde --"

"Let me finish. Anyway, it's a kind of disability that delays his sensory input and how it's all processed."

"Can you rephrase that simply, please? You're going WAAAY over our heads," replied Kitsune.

_Hmmm... this is going to be harder to explain to them than I first thought..._ thought Haruka.

"In short, it means that Keitaro has difficulties in learning and communicating socially with other people. He can't express himself in the same way as us, or even understand his own emotions. People like him used to be known as 'idiot savants'," Haruka said, extinguishing her cigarette while turning to look to see if Keitaro is alright. He is still absorbed by the program he is watching, still rocking back and forth gently. "The outside world can be a dangerous place for people like Keitaro," she continued, "his life is routined, which is the only way for him to cope."

"Routined? What do you mean?" asked Shinobu.

"Well, it means he has to do things at set times."

"Like eating, drinking, sleeping, and going out?" continued Kitsune.

"Exactly. Any changes to that routine without letting him know beforehand can be an upsetting experience for him."

"How long has he been institutionalised? I mean, how old was he?" asked Naru.

"Well... I was 16 back then..." Haruka said, pausing to think for a moment, "that was 10 years ago. He was 10 --"

"Haruka-_sempai_..." Motoko interrupted, "I cannot help but feel there is another reason why your nephew is here."

"Well, you're right there."

"What is it?"

"You see, I want him to stay here for a few days. I haven't seen him for a long time."

"WHAT?!!" Naru and Motoko shouted at the same time.

"Absolutely NOT!" exclaimed Naru vehemently, "this is an all-girls dorm! No males allowed!"

"My sentiments exactly," agreed Motoko, slowly nodding her head. She then stood up and started to walk over to the kitchen door, looking towards where Keitaro was seated, "he may be your nephew, Haruka-_sempai_, but you know yourself that we are talking about a male - a perverted, dishonourable being, at that - living here, in an all-girls dormitory. While I do not intend on sounding rude, I think it would be for the good of us all if he left immediately and returned to where he came from, before I kick him out myself." She emphasised the last point by unsheathing her _katana_ from it's scabbard.

As rare as it is to see Haruka get angry, this was one occasion where she could not control her temper, even if she had tried. Upon hearing those words being said about her disabled nephew, she stood up quickly, making her chair fall backwards onto the floor, with a very angered look on her face and slammed her fists on the table, making every tenant, including Su, who wasn't listening to the entire conversation, jump with fright and stare at her in disbelief. She looked calmly at Shinobu and Su, and told them to go to their rooms for the time being - a request that they complied with immediately. She then turned her gaze back towards Naru and Motoko, the angered expression on her face returning once again.

"Haruka-_sempai_...?"

"First of all," shouted Haruka with such ferocity, making both of them shudder on the spot, "Grandma Hina owns this property; not you two, not anyone else, and upon her departure, she left me in charge, meaning that whatever I say is final."

"But --"

"No buts!" she continued, her anger still present, her fists clenching and unclenching involuntarily, "Secondly, me and Grandma Hina made a agreement with the institution that he could come out and stay here for however long we feel is necessary, not only so he could meet and get to know you girls, but also to give him a change of scenery as he used to come here often when he was younger. If you have any problems with this, then you know where the front door is."

Naru and Motoko tensed up significantly at that threat, as they knew Haruka could do whatever she wanted whilst she was in charge.

"Well, do you two have anything to say?"

"N-No," they both stammered simultaneously.

"Good."

At this point, Keitaro opened the kitchen door and walked in, attracting Naru and Motoko's attention.

"Aunt Haruka, TV time is over," he spoke in the same dull, emotionless voice.

"Alright. Just wait out here for me, okay? I'll be done in a minute." she spoke softly, turning to face him.

"Yeah." He then walked back out of the kitchen, closing the door behind him. Haruka smiled at him affectionately, before turning back to Naru and Motoko, her stern gaze returning, making the two shudder on the spot.

"And, you two, one more thing. If I EVER hear either of you so much as whisper a negative word about my nephew again, you will be out here quicker than you can both apologise. I don't want ANYONE giving him a hard time, just because of his disability, or because he is male and will be living here, because I am getting sick of you both judging every man without even meeting them, simply because they're male. Got it?"

"But he is a male!" Motoko protested, "I don't care if he is related to you or Mrs. Hina, he is male, and has no right to be in, or even NEAR, here!"

"I agree!" Naru followed up.

"I thought I warned you two..."

The two young women simply nodded meekly. Kitsune stared on, shocked at Haruka's sudden outbursts.

"Good." Haruka then calmed down significantly, looking at the three of them. "You may leave now."

Naru and Motoko wasted no time in standing up and exiting the kitchen to avoid fueling Haruka's temper even further, while Kitsune left slowly, looking at Haruka with an unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry about that," Haruka said to Kitsune, apologetically, "but it had to be done."

"I know," replied Kitsune, "they had no reason to do or say what they did. Besides, you were just standing up for him."

Haruka gave Kitsune a friendly smile. She stood up and followed Kitsune, as they both went to see Keitaro, who was pacing around the room slowly, looking around, some of the items in the room

"Okay then, Keitaro," spoke Haruka, the smile still on her face, "get your bag, and we'll get your room sorted. Naru, Motoko; you can both help too. Kitsune, can you help too, please?"

"Sure. Which room?"

"The _kanrinin_'s room."

With that, they went upstairs.

**

* * *

[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 11.09 am]]**

Naru, Motoko, Kitsune and Haruka have just finished helping Keitaro get everything unpacked and put into place. The room now looks a lot tidier than it was before. To help Keitaro feel more at ease, they moved the futon from it's original position in the middle of the floor to just underneath the window. Naru and Motoko both notice something amongst Keitaro's belongings which piqued their curiosity; a collection of programmes from Japan's international football matches, dating back to as early as the late eighties, as well as some sticker books - with every sticker stuck in - from around the early nineties onwards, while Kitsune starts to look through some of his football stickers. Keitaro, noticing that they are going through the collection, starts to pace up and down the room nervously, fidgeting with his fingers.

"Why is he doing that?" asked Naru, confused at Keitaro's actions.

"Whenever he gets nervous, he starts to pace up and down and gets fidgety." answered Haruka.

"Yeah, but why?"

"It's his way of dealing with people he doesn't know touching his things."

"Hey, Keitaro..." said Kitsune, with a trading card in her hand. She shows him the card. "...Andriy Shevchenko."

"Andriy Shevchenko; striker. Nicknamed 'Sheva'." he replied.

"And he plays for Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine?"

"Started his footballing career with Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine in 1994. Ready for a move to AC Milan of Italy at the end of the season. Scored 151 goals in his entire club career..."

Naru looks at the books which are placed on his shelf.

"So, he's read all of these books?" she asked, curiously.

Haruka turns to face Naru, taking a puff of her cigarette.

"_Hai_. He reads and remembers whatever he gets his hands on."

Naru removes one of the books from the shelf. It is titled 'Bushido: The Soul Of Japan'.

"A-Ah..." Keitaro stammers, getting more and more nervous, "ah... Haruka... H-A-R-U-K-A! T-This... this, unannounced..."

"He's beginning to get anxious," Haruka said, turning to face Keitaro with a calming smile on her face, "Keitaro, it's okay."

Naru opens the front of the book, and notices a handwritten message on the inside cover.

**'_Ureshii tanjoubi_, Keitaro --_ otousan_'**

_Hmm..._

"Hey Motoko," Kitsune said, "he said not to touch the books."

"Not to touch the books," Keitaro repeated.

"Do you like Inazo Nitobe?" asked Motoko.

"Er... Haruka..."

"Did you read all this?" asked Naru.

"Yeah."

"Have you read 'A Cat, Shozo And Two Women'?"

"Stop it!" intervened Kitsune.

"You've read everything in this book..." continued Motoko, "...and you can't remember if you've even read the book?"

"H-A-R-U-K-A."

"What --"

"Naru, I think you'd better put it back," interrupted Haruka.

"Ok. Keitaro, take it easy; I'm not gonna..." Naru trailed off, "...I won't touch anything else."

"It's ok," Haruka said in an attempt to calm Keitaro down, "don't worry, Keitaro."

"...Yeah..." Keitaro replied, still slightly uncertain.

"Here," said Kitsune, walking up to Keitaro to hand his stickers back to him, "here's your stickers."

Keitaro notices that they're all in a different order. He starts to rearrange them.

"Sorry 'bout that," continued Kitsune, "I didn't know which order you wanted them in..." she trails off as Keitaro raises one of his hands, putting it on the top of her head and ruffling her hair affectionately. He then pats her lightly on her left cheek, and goes back to rearranging his stickers. Kitsune has a stunned but amused look on her face, complete with a blush, which Haruka notices.

"He likes you," she says while facing Kitsune, laughing, "it's just his way of showing it."

"But when I went to touch him earlier, he pulled away."

"Don't take it as a personal thing. He's not touched me, Grandma Hina or even Kanako before, and yet us three have known him better than anybody ever since his parents put him in the institution."

They both turn to look at Keitaro.

"It's not in him," continued Haruka, "if I were to leave town tomorrow and never come back without saying goodbye first, he'd not notice."

"He would never notice?" asked Motoko, an odd look on her face.

"Well, it just seems to me that he doesn't really seem interested in other people."

"Oh yeah..." said Kitsune, about to ask a question.

"Yeah?" replied Haruka.

"...Who is Kanako?"

"She's Keitaro's sister. Though they never actually lived together, and aren't actually related to each other by blood, Kanako has always visited Keitaro after learning that he had been placed in the institution. She visits him every Friday without fail."

"That's nice to hear. At least there's more than one of his relatives visiting."

Haruka nodded in agreement. She, Naru, Motoko, and Kitsune turn to look at Keitaro, who is still rearranging his sticker collection. Once he has finished, he sits down and started to hum a tune while rocking back and forth gently. Kitsune and Haruka can't help but smile when they hear his humming, while Motoko just rolls her eyes and leaves the room to do some more of her kendo training. Eventually, the remaining three leave Keitaro to himself and exit the room, resuming their activities.

* * *

**[Motoko's P.O.V.]**

**[[Hinata Sou, Laundry Deck - 11.12 am]]**

_This is, in my opinion, the worst day imaginable._

_Today, a male has been instated as a new Hinata Sou tenant, when it is clear that it is an all-girls dormitory._

_What could Haruka-sempai be thinking?_

_He is a male. All males are driven forward by their selfish, perverted desires, and that is what counts._

_I do not care that he is her nephew and Hina-san's grandson, and I do not care that he is disabled. If he tries to make his perverted, lecherous moves on me, I will remove him from Hinata Sou myself the moment he steps out of line._

_Grrr... why am I even thinking about him? I need to focus on my training..._

**[End Motoko's P.O.V.]

* * *

****  
[Naru's P.O.V.]**

**[[Hinata Sou, Room 304 - 11.13 am]]**

_I can't believe it!_

_A pervert by the name of Keitaro Urashima, who tried his moves on Kitsune-san earlier today, has been allowed to live here - in Hinata Sou, an all-girls dormitory! What was Haruka-san thinking when she moved him here?_

_Even worse... he's in the room below me!_

_What if he tries his perversions on me during the night while I'm sleeping?_

_No... he's not capable of such a thing._

_Besides, he's Haruka-san's nephew? He can be trusted, right?_

_Oh, Kami... help me...  
  
_**[End Naru's P.O.V.]**

_

* * *

_**  
[[Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 12.30 pm]]**

Lunchtime had arrived at Hinata Sou. Obviously, the first one to make their way into the kitchen was Kaolla Su, who consumes more food in one day than all of the other tenants put together. Second was Naru, who had her studying outfit on, preparing to continue studying even after lunchtime. Third was Kitsune, shortly followed by Keitaro, led into the kitchen by Haruka. Last to arrive was Motoko, who had finished her training for the time being. Upon arrival, she noticed that her seat was taken by Keitaro. Annoyed, she walked up to him, and stood over him expectantly. Keitaro didn't acknowledge her presence, which annoyed her even further. She proceeded to tap him on the shoulder roughly, making him stir slightly. He looks up at her, but avoids all eye contact with her.

"Excuse me," she said, sarcastically, "that is my seat you are sitting in."

Keitaro continues to sit there, adding more fuel to the fire that can already be seen burning in Motoko's eyes. She goes to unsheath her sword, but notices Haruka sitting there with a disapproving look on her face.

"He's not in your seat. Your seat is now next to his." she said, retaining her stern gaze.

Motoko bows her head in shame, looking down to the ground as she goes to take her seat next to Keitaro.

"_Itadakimasu_!" everyone shouts before commencing lunch. Lunch came and went with little else happening, except for Naru and Motoko directing the occasional glare in Keitaro's direction. Unknown to them, Haruka notices this.

_What is their problem?_ Haruka thought, a frown forming on her face. _I know how strongly they both feel against having him living here, but he's done nothing to them to deserve them treating him like an outcast..._

* * *

**  
Later that day...**

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 10.37 pm]]**

Keitaro is sitting on his futon with his legs folded, rocking back and forth as always, reading a phone directory book to sate his curiosity with a pack of cashews. He has reached the letter 'O' in the book. His head snaps up when he can hear laughing and chatter coming from somewhere outside his room. Looking at the TV, he notices that there is no sound coming from it as it's switched off. Placing the book down on his futon, he stands up and walks over to the partition door, opening it and peeking his head out. Finding that there is nobody outside his bedroom in the hall, he becomes even more curious as to where the sound is actually coming from. He slowly walks down the hall to the top of the steps, mimicking the sound of laughter quietly as he does so. He eventually reaches the changing rooms outside the _onsen_ area.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Changing Rooms - 10.39 pm]]**

Noticing that the sound is getting louder as he approaches, he comes to a realisation; the sound is coming from the _onsen_. Indeed, the tenants are out in there; relaxing and chattering with each other.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Onsen - moments earlier]]**

Naru, Kitsune, Motoko, Su and Shinobu are out in the onsen for their nightly bath. Su is just swimming around, playing with Shinobu, while Naru, Kitsune and Motoko are exchanging chatter with each other.

"I just realised something," Naru stated to the two, "what if that pervert comes in here while we're bathing to slake his perverted urges?"

"I would not put it past him," Motoko agreed, "he has already shown himself as a common pervert after he tried pulling his lecherous moves on Kitsune-_san_ earlier this morning."

"Hey, you two," Kitsune interjected, "he wasn't pulling ANY moves on me; he just introduced himself to me, shook my hand and told me why he was here. Besides, don't you two think you're being a bit too harsh on him? I mean, Haruka said he can't help some of the things he does because of his disability. Besides, I think his innocence is quite cute," she added, a small blush on her face.

"Kitsune-_san_, how can you defend him after what he tried this morning?" Naru asked.

"If it was me who he tried pulling his moves on," Motoko stated, "I would show him no mercy."

"_Yare yare_..." Kitsune sighed in defeat.

It was at this moment when they noticed a shadow from behind the partition walls separating the _onsen_ and the changing rooms.

"Hey, did you see that?" Kitsune asked.

"I bet it's that pervert..." Naru hissed, cracking her knuckles.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Onsen - present time]]**

To sate his curiosity, Keitaro opened the partition door to, indeed, reveal all the tenants of Hinata Sou. They all turned their attention to him with varying expressions on their faces. Kitsune's expression was unreadable; Motoko and Naru's of disgust and anger; Shinobu's of shock. Su just stood there with that omni-present grin on her face.

"Heyas, Keitaro!" she shouted, cheerfully, not noticing - and probably not even caring - that she has fully exposed her chest and womanhood, "Come to check us out, have ya?"

Naru and Motoko stand up, the former cracking her knuckles some more and the latter grabbing her katana, unsheathing it, proceeding to advance threateningly towards him. Kitsune stands up to try and persuade them to stop - but to no avail. Keitaro just stood there, looking around curiously.

"You..." Naru started.

"...PERVERT!" Motoko finished.

They both then went for Keitaro too quick for Kitsune to stop them. Naru forced him onto the ground, while Motoko stood over him, pinning him down with her foot. They both had very angry looks on their faces, complete with embarrassed blushes at the fact that he had seen them both. Keitaro, as an involuntary reflex, raised his arms to shield his head.

"Now is the time for your tainted presence to leave..." Motoko growled, getting ready to use one of her sword techniques. "Shinmei School --"

"Now just stop this, the pair of you!" Kitsune shouted, getting the undivided attention of them both. She walked over to them and guided them away from Keitaro, who was now covering his head with his arms, making the same screeching noises he made that morning. After throwing them both an angry look - which was rare to see as she is normally laid back - she turned her attention to Keitaro, kneeling down by his side and proceeding to rub his back in an attempt to soothe him. When he finally calmed down, she offered a hand to help him up, which he hesitantly accepted, still nervous of Naru and Motoko, and took him inside. "Come on, Keitaro... let's get you to your room." She then turned to the two young women, and scowled at them, her eyes half open, making them shudder. "I hope you're both happy..." she hissed in a low tone at them, who now had looks of surprise on their faces. Surprise at the fact that Kitsune sided with him, and that she actually got angry. Kitsune then disappeared upstairs with Keitaro.

"What just happened there?" Naru asked no one in particular.

"I do not know." replied Motoko.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 10.44 pm]]**

Kitsune is sitting beside Keitaro on his futon; a gentle, reassuring hand on his back. The unusual thing is that he isn't rocking back and forth like he normally does. Instead, he is sat upright with his hands in his lap, staring straight at the wall. Kitsune leans in slightly closer to him.

"Hey... I'm sorry about Naru and Motoko," Kitsune said in an apologetic tone, "they still don't like the fact that you're here."

"Yeah."

"But... why did you come down to the hot springs?" she asked, with a curious look on her face.

"H-Heard laughing. Heard talking."

"You heard laughing and talking?"

"Yeah."

Kitsune couldn't help but raise a smile at his innocence.

"Well, that was us. We were just having a bath."

"Having a bath."

Kitsune's smile widened.

_I'm really beginning to like this guy,_ she thought, a blush spreading across her face,_ his innocence makes him really cute._

"Well, I'm gonna go to my room. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah."

Kitsune was about to leave, but she turned towards Keitaro again, and gave him a light kiss on the head. Keitaro blushed slightly, making her smile even more.

_Wow... the first sign of emotion he's shown since arriving here._

"Good night." she said, her face returning to it's regular fox-like look.

"Yeah, good night."

With that, she left and went to her room. She went past Naru, who seemed to be stomping right towards Keitaro's room.

_Uh oh... what's she gonna do now?_

Naru slides the partition door to Keitaro's room, trying to contain the anger which was building up inside her.

"Hey, pervert," she said through gritted teeth, "what were you doing in the hot springs?"

"Don't know," Keitaro muttered, his eyes not leaving the phone book.

"You don't know?"

"Laughing. Talking. Heard laughing and talking."

"You heard laughing and talking. Well, that laughing and talking are none of your business! Understand?! Well, do you?"

Keitaro continued reading, seemingly ignoring Naru. A scowl formed on her face.

"Put the phone book down, stop acting like such a damn idiot and go to sleep."

Kitsune, who was still outside the room unknownst to Naru, winced at Naru's words.

_Remind me to have a talk with her about this when she comes out..._ She thought.

"Go to sleep!" Naru shouted.

"It's 10:51. Sleepy-time at 11:00."

"New rules," she said as she switched his light off. Putting the book down, Keitaro fumbled about for a handheld torch which he had beside him. Finding it, he turned it on and continued to read the book.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Hallway - 10.51 pm]]**

Naru, with a smirk on her face, started to go down the hall and upstairs to her room. Just as she was about to go up the stairs, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the fox-like face of Kitsune.

"Yes, Kitsune-_san_?" she said.

"Naru, why can't you just give him a chance?" Kitsune said, a slight frown on her face.

"Him? That pervert?"

"Look, this is what I mean. You've not even known him for an entire day and you're already thinking of his bad points. For Kami's sake, girl, give him a chance, will ya? And don't worry, I'll be saying the same thing to Motoko too."

"Whatever..." Naru said with a wave of her hand, proceeding upstairs. Kitsune looked on, shaking her head in disappointment, as she starts to make her own way upstairs, going to Motoko's room.

_As if Naru wasn't hard enough, Motoko's gonna be a hell of a lot harder to talk some sense into..._

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER TWO_ :::

* * *

::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::  
  
**I hope this chapter was better than the last. 

Anyway, I mentioned Kanako at some point in this chapter. I will introduce her in later chapters.

While we're on the subject of chapters... I'm hoping to make each chapter longer than the predecessor, as I'm aiming to make this a 20,000 word story. 50,000 the most, but that may be too high as it'll involve throwing loads of bollocks in. Erm... that didn't sound right, did it? Eh...

_- GaC -_


	3. Otohime, Mutsumi

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

**DISCLAIMER**

Read Chapter 1, 'cause I won't be including the damn disclaimer from  
the next chapter onwards.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
((...)) - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Three_ :::** _Otohime, Mutsumi... Milk And Sugar?

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Haruka's Café - 11.02 am))**_

To give Shinobu a break from doing all the cooking, the tenants decided to have breakfast at Haruka's café and tea shop for a change. They were sat at a table nearest to one of the walls. Motoko was sat with her _katana_ by her side, her eyes closed in deep thought; Naru was sat glaring at Keitaro - as she usually does; Kitsune was sat next to Keitaro to help keep him safe in case Naru or Motoko decided to attack him for any 'perverted' acts; Shinobu sat next to Su, who was teasing the former. Keitaro was just sat upright, fidgeting with his fingers, staring into space, mumbling to himself. The mumbling seemed to agitate Naru, who had another vein throbbing on her temple.

"Will you stop that?" she growled.

"Naru..." Kitsune sighed.

"_Ohayo gozaimasu_!" A woman with a cheerful smile on her face, dressed in the shop's uniform, carrying a small notebook and pencil with her came to the table to collect their orders. She had long brown hair, plaited, and a somewhat frail build, "Coffee?"

"Hai, dozo."

Keitaro looked at the namebadge on the woman's apron.

"Mutsumi Otohime. Otohime, Mutsumi. 43-3219-5666. Ikebukuro."

"Ara..." said the woman named Mutsumi, a bewildered smile on her face, "that's my phone number. And where I live. How did you know?"

"How did you know that?" asked Kitsune.

"He's probably going to pull some perverted moves on her when her shift's done." Naru said, her fists clenching. "I wouldn't put it past him, not after what he did last night."

"Naru... just keep quiet for a moment, will ya? Let him explain."

"_Oi_..."

"Read phone book and directory," Keitaro replied, his eyes not leaving the namebadge, "Otohime, Mutsumi. 43-3219-5666. Ikebukuro."

"Er..." Naru started, thinking of how to put what she wants to say kindly, "he remembers small things like that at times."

"Oh my... how clever," replied Mutsumi, her cheerful smile returning as she began to walk away, "I'll be back in a moment."

"H... How did you do that?" asked Naru, still confused.

"Don't know."

"Did you memorise the whole book?" asked Motoko.

"No."

"Which prefecture's directory did you get up to?"

"K. Kanagawa."

"You memorised to K?"

"Yeah, K."

"Wow..." said Shinobu, mouth agape.

"That's good, y'know," said Kitsune with a smile on her face.

"Yeah." Keitaro replied while arranging the salt and pepper shakers so they were in a line.

"Hungry?" asked Kitsune.

"Yeah. Thursdays we have _sushi_ and rice balls for breakfast."

"Hmm... sounds good," nodded Motoko.

"Fancy a drink, Keitaro?" Kitsune asked again.

"Yeah. Coffee."

"Coffee it is."

"Sugar."

Keitaro started looking around the table to find a container of sugar, but found nothing.

"Ahh, no..."

"Keitaro... what are you doing now?" Naru growled, her patience beginning to wear thin.

Keitaro grabbed his duffel bag and started looking.

"Don't have my sugar."

"No. You do not need sugar for coffee," replied Motoko.

"Don't have sugar."

"You don't need sugar. It will already be in the coffee." Naru sighed, aggravated.

"I don't have my sugar or my milk."

"Keitaro," Naru growled again, "do you see a cup or pot of coffee anywhere on this table?"

"No sugar or milk here."

Naru and Motoko rolled their eyes in frustration, angry frowns forming on their faces.

"When we order the coffee," Motoko said through gritted teeth, "the sugar and milk will be in there already."

"Sugar and milk are meant to be on the table before the coffee arrives."

"We've not ordered yet." Naru replied.

"Hey, you two, calm down..." Kitsune tried to speak up.

"If they bring the sugar and milk after, it'll be too late. We'll be here all breakfast time with no sugar and milk. I'm not going to have my coffee without -- OW!"

Naru's patience snapped, and she leaned across the table and grabbed him in a headlock, squeezing his neck tightly. Kitsune stood up and tried making Naru's arms loosen their grip, but to no avail.

"Naru, let go --" Kitsune tried protesting.

"Keitaro, will you stop acting like such a damn retard?!"

"OW!"

Naru let go after a few moments.

"Ahhh..."

Keitaro reached in his bag to find something. He pulled out a notebook and pen. Opening it to the page where the last notes were written, he began to write something. Naru and Motoko went to see what he was writing, but he swiveled around on his cushion so they could not see what he was writing.

"What are you writing?" Naru asked, sternly.

Keitaro continued to write, ignoring Naru's question.

Motoko grabbed her _katana_, still in it's scabbard, and flipped the book from Keitaro's hands, sending it in the air. Motoko reached her arm up, as Keitaro stretched his to grab it, but Naru grabbed his arm and held it down, despite his best efforts to get it free.

"A-Ahhh..." Keitaro stammered, making a 'give it back' gesture with his free hand.

"'Recent Injury List: Naru Narusegawa'." Motoko read.

"'Recent Injury List'?" Naru repeated, turning her gaze towards Keitaro, "are you kidding me?"

Motoko threw the book back at Keitaro, hitting him in the face. Rubbing his nose, he picked it up and carried on where he left off.

"Injury #21 in Spring '98: Grabbed, squeezed and hurt my neck."

"'Grabbed, squeezed and hurt your neck'?"

Keitaro continued writing. Naru and Motoko looked at each other with confused and agitated looks. Moments later, their orders arrived, and Keitaro got his coffee with milk and sugar. After finishing his coffee, he was still eating what was left of his breakfast when everyone else had already finished and were waiting for him. As he was about to eat the last of the rice balls, Naru deliberately bumped into him, making him drop his chopsticks and rice ball onto the floor. He went to pick the rice ball up and eat it, when Kitsune stopped him.

"Hey, Keitaro, don't eat that. It's dirty. Put it back on the plate," she said, a kind smile on his face. When he did what he was told to do, she shot a glare in Naru's direction. "Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Naru replied, trying to pass off what she did as an accident, "It was an accident." Unfortunately for her, a smirk on her face gave the game away.

"Don't lie; I saw you. You did that deliberately to get a laugh out of him."

Keitaro stands up and starts wandering around the café, in search of a member of staff. Kitsune noticed and turned her attention to Mutsumi, who was walking in their direction.

"Um, excuse me, Otohime-_san_, do you have any more chopsticks? He dropped his pair."

"_Hai_, I'll just get some."

She went into the back room, and came back out a few seconds later with a box of chopsticks. Keitaro walked up to her. She was about to give him a pair when Naru bumped into Mutsumi - deliberately, once again - making her drop the box, smirkingas the chopsticks spilled onto the floor. Keitaro looked down at the floor, flapping his hands.

"Oh, no... chopsticks on floor. Can't eat off chopsticks on floor. Dirty."

"Oh my..." Mutsumi said, absentmindedly, "_sumimasen_."

Kitsune glared once again at Naru, who held her hands up in defeat.

"Sorry about the chopsticks," Kitsune said, turning her attention back to Mutsumi.

_I'm gonna have another talk with her when we get back..._ she thought.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Lobby - 12.10 pm))**

Everyone arrived back at Hinata Sou and started to make their way to their individual rooms. Keitaro decided to sit in the kitchen at the table to do some sketching. Naru was about to go upstairs to her room for another session of studying, when Kitsune stopped her again.

"Kitsune-san, what is it this time?" Naru sighed.

"What did I tell you last night? I told you to give him a chance, and you've ignored me. What is it going to take for you to give him a chance of settling down here? We don't go by the same routine as the institution, so he needs time to settle down. You saw his outburst at the café today."

"Kitsune, he's a man. This is an all-girls dormitory. Why should I accept that pervert here?"

"_Yare yare_... this is just pointless..." Kitsune said, walking back to the kitchen with a cup of saké in her hand.

Keitaro started to sketch in a new sketchbook. As he was sketching, Kitsune looked in one of his old sketchbooks that was already full up. She noticed that all his sketches were done in almost perfect detail. The first sketch was of the front of Hinata Sou, drawn down to even the smallest detail. The second was of the main building of the institution he stayed at. She noticed that it looked slightly like a modernised version of Hinata Sou in a way, except it was three times bigger and. His third sketch was of his room. It was a quaint little place, with a desk and chair, bed, shelves, radio and TV; a slight breeze blowing the curtains around. The fourth looked like it was drawn more recently. It was Hinata Sou again, with falling _sakura_ petals in the background. She couldn't help but smile at his talent. The fifth picture surprised even her. It was a picture of Su, with one of her numerous inventions, and Shinobu, playing out in the courtyard. The thing she noticed was that it was very flattering. The sixth was of Naru and Motoko carrying black metal pitchforks, complete with devil wings, red eyes and horns. She laughed at this one, as that was how their attitude towards him seemed to be. The seventh picture was a facial picture of Haruka, done in very good detail, down to her skin features. The eighth picture was of the view from the window opposite to the door of the _kanrinin_'s room, overlooking the small town and the sea stretching out into the horizon, the sun making the water glisten attractively. The ninth, which she chuckled at upon seeing it, was a caricature of Kitsune; complete with the ears, nose and tail of a fox, holding a bottle of _saké_, looking as if she was winking at whoever was looking at the sketch at that moment in time.Although she was already pleasantly surprised at the pictures she had already seen, nothing prepared her for what she was going to see next.

Turning to the last page, Kitsune noticed a picture that surprised her a great deal more than the others; even more than the caricature. It was a facial shot of her, but that's not what surprised her. She noticed that he had drawn this sketchdown to the last detail, including slight crease lines in the skin,complete with shading.

It was also the only picture he had taken the time to colour in. Her smile widened, with a blush appearing on her face.

_That's so sweet..._ she thought. _He's so good at drawing._

She turned back to Keitaro, handing his sketchbook back.

"So you like drawing, huh?" Kitsune asked, out of curiosity.

"Yeah."

"Your drawings are good."

"Yeah."

"But... why did you draw me," she added with a blush, her curiosity aroused even further, "and add so much detail to it, too?"

"Pretty. Pretty Kitsune."

Kitsune felt her cheeks heat up as the blood rushed to her cheeks at that comment, her beaming smile changing to a shy grin.

_I had no idea he was so talented. Going by the detail of his drawings, it seems like he has a sort of photographic memory,_ she thought, watching him as he sketched._ If he wasn't autistic, he could go very far in the art industry._ Her train of thought was interrupted when Haruka walked into the room, holding some important-looking documents in her hand, another cigarette in her mouth.

"_Konnichiwa_, Haruka," Kitsune said, "how's things?"

"Fine, yourself?" she replied.

"Same."

Haruka gave a faint smile as she watched Keitaro sitting there, sketching away. Looking over his shoulder, she noticed he was finishing a sketch of the _kanrinin_'s room which he had started earlier.

"I never knew you'd be the first one to make friends with Keitaro, Kitsune-_san_. I expected Su-_chan_ or Shinobu-_chan_ to be the first."

"He's a good guy when you spend time with him,, although Naru and Motoko don't seem to think so. They still haven't accepted him."

"Hmmm... I heard about last night, too."

"Who from?"

"Motoko," Haruka said, closing her eyes and holding her hand to her chin in thought, shaking her head slightly, "she said that he deliberately walked into the hot springs, knowing that they were there, so he could try and have a peek. I didn't believe her, though; I know he wouldn't do that."

"He told me he walked in there because he heard some laughing and talking."

"Thought it would've been something along those lines. He's always been curious like that. Anyway, I came to give Keitaro these papers."

"Oh, right."

Noticing the trance-like state he was in, Kitsune tapped Keitaro lightly on the shoulder in an attempt to attract his attention.

"Keitaro? Haruka wants to talk to you."

Keitaro stopped sketching and put his pencil down. He turned to face Haruka, who was still smiling faintly at him.

"Keitaro, Granny Hina sent this fax. Read the first one."

He took the paper Haruka was motioning to, and began to read it.

"Cer... Certi... Certificate," Keitaro slowly stammered, having obvious difficulty in reading the words out properly, "Of Es... Estate... Owner... ship."

"Yep. Certificate Of Estate Ownership," Haruka said, with a smile on her face, "Grandma is giving the entire estate to you."

"Yeah."

Kitsune looked on, not believing her ears.

_Wha... he is being given the whole dorm? Wow... he might be staying after all!_ She thought, a beaming smile on her face.

"You mean... he's gonna own this building?" Kitsune asked, still in disbelief, with her eyes partly widened.

"Provided he becomes the landlord, yes."

Kitsune takes the papers from Keitaro's hands, and reads through them herself. Upon reading, her eyes widen all the way in what can be described as complete shock.

"So, Keitaro," continues Haruka, "you wanna take the job?"

"Yeah. Want to take job at Hinata Sou. Stay at Hinata Sou."

Kitsune's smile widened even more.

_Yes! He's staying!_

"But..." Kitsune asked, confused, although she is still smiling, "why did Keitaro get offered the job. I mean, wouldn't Kanako have been a better candidate?"

"It's true that Kanako would've accepted, but she said didn't want the responsibility of the job, and she felt that Keitaro deserved to be given the ownership of the building as he is the older sibling," Haruka replied, "although it would've been better for everyone if she did accept..."

"Either way... how are we going to explain this to the other girls?"

"Don't worry about that," Haruka replied, winking at Kitsune, "I'll sort it out..."

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER THREE_ :::

* * *

****::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Another chapter done; another one on the way.

Ok, now I know this chapter isn't exactly as long as I had hoped it to be (although it has exceeded 2,000 words), but the next one WILL be longer, I promise!

I won't be introducing Kanako for another two to three chapters yet. But I will introduce her.

Thanks go to Joshua Falken and Turbanator for their reviews... much obliged to you.

Anyway, until the next chapter comes about...

_- GaC -_


	4. The New Kanrinin

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
((...)) - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Four_ :::** _The New Kanrinin... Ill Feelings Resurfaced

* * *

_

**((Hinata Sou, Living Room - 12.19 pm))**

All the tenants, Haruka, Keitaro and Kitsune included, had gathered in the living room, after Kitsune had called a house meeting. Su, Shinobu and Naru sit on the sofa, while Motoko stands behind them, her sword resting against the arm of the sofa. Keitaro stands next to Kitsune, facing towards the entrance, rocking slightly on the spot while mumbling to himself.

"Now," Haruka started, "I'm sure you're all wondering why I had Kitsune-_san_ call this house meeting?" Naru, Su, Shinobu and Motoko nod in response. "Well, a few minutes ago, I just received these fax papers from Grandma Hina, and this is big news. Really big news."

"Why, what is it?" Motoko asked, uncertain.

Haruka pulls out the papers and gives them to Kitsune. "You tell them."

"_Hai_," Kitsune takes the papers from Haruka, and holds them up, "it seems that Granny Hina has passed the ownership of this building down to Keitaro. On one condition, needless to say."

"Which is...? As if I don't already know..." Naru asks, her fists clenching and her teeth gritting together as she can already guess the outcome.

"He will own this building, provided he becomes the landlord."

The expressions on the four tenants' faces varied upon this news. The expressions on Motoko and Naru's faces were that of shock, their faces going pale. Shinobu, although she secretly enjoyed his presence, had a look which was a cross between joy and uncertainty, while Su's mouth spread into a grin.

"_Na_... _nani_? So, that pervert..." Naru started, too shocked to complete her sentence.

"...is our new _kanrinin_?" Motoko finished, her level of shock equalling that of Naru's.

"Yep," Haruka calmly said, before glaring daggers at Naru and Motoko, knowing what they were going to say, "and before you two even say anything, if you have a problem with him being appointed as the _kanrinin_, then like I said before, you know where the front door is."

"But, this is ludicrous!" Motoko protested, "A male, the _kanrinin_ of Hinata Sou; an all-girls dormitory?! I won't accept this!"

"Then it's been nice knowing you," Haruka simply stated in a cold tone before closing her eyes, lighting up another cigarette.

Motoko shuddered inwardly at Haruka's threat, but nonetheless retained her composure. She grabbed her _katana_, still sheathed, and proceeded to go upstairs for her training, after firing a blood-curdling glare in Keitaro's direction, then one in Kitsune's direction,.

_I cannot believe she has sided with him... I shall find a way to remove him once and for all!_

Kitsune shakes her head in disappointment. Naru looked in disbelief at Haruka and the fox-eyed woman.

"I know what you're going to say, Naru," Haruka said pre-emptively, "but there's a reason for him being instated as _kanrinin_. I wouldn't contestGranny Hina'sauthority if you know what's good for you."

Naru pondered for a moment.

"...I understand, Haruka-_san_. But I still can't believe Hina-_san_ would give the job of _kanrinin_ to a male."

She proceeded to follow Motoko upstairs. After an awkward silence, Shinobu was the first to speak up.

"Congratulations, _kanrinin_-_san_," Shinobu said, with a blush and shy smile on her face, "I hope you do a good job."

Keitaro acknowledged her comment with a playful ruffling of her hair, making her blush deepen. Kitsune and Haruka managed to stifle an amused giggle at his action.

_He really is cute when he's like this..._ Kitsune thought, _but it's a shame that Naru and Motoko still haven't accepted him, even now..._

* * *

**(Motoko's P.O.V.)**

**((Hinata Sou, Room 302 - 12.26 pm))**

_Things could not get any worse than this._

_As if that vile cur being allowed to live here was not bad enough, Hina-san instates him as kanrinin!_

_A perverted male such as he, instated as kanrinin of an all-girls dormitory!_

_This is absolutely preposterous! What in Kami's name could she have been thinking?! Things may worsen from hereon!_

_I will not allow this. I must think of a way to rid Hinata Sou of that male's rotten presence._

_But how...? I cannot use any of my Shinmei techniques; that would be too suspicious._

_There must be some way I can get rid of him..._

_Hm? Who is that at my door? Oh... it is only Naru-sempai._

**(End Motoko's P.O.V.)**

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Room 302 - 12.27 pm))**

Motoko's sharp senses were alerted to the sound of her partition door being opened. Quickly turning around, _katana_ at the ready, she relaxes immediately upon seeing that it is only Naru.

"Oh, Naru-sempai... what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Can you believe it?!" Naru fumed, her face reddened with anger, "that idiot has just been made _kanrinin_! This gives him many other opportunities to use his perverted ways on us!"

"I concur wholeheartedly," Motoko continued, nodding her head slowly, "his presence here will only make our lives worse if he does not leave soon."

"We must get rid of him one way or another... do you know any ways?"

"I think I know a way that should work," Motoko muttered.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Onsen - 12.28 pm))**

Keitaro has changed from his casual daily clothes into a set of spare old clothes. Kitsune and Haruka were accompanying him; the latter with a broom in her hand.

"Haruka-_san_," Kitsune started, "now that Keitaro is _kanrinin_, what kind of work will he be doing?"

"None of the dangerous work, such as cooking with the old iron stove for the obvious reasons," Haruka started, "and he will not be doing the cleaning of the outside windows of the first and second floors either. He will be doing the simple jobs, such as sweeping here, hanging the laundry, cleaning the windows on the inside, and helping clean the dishes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. I will help him when it comes to collecting the monthly rents when they're due, though."

"Ah, I see. Do you want me to watch over him when he's working, in case he has an accident?"

"That would really help. _Arigato_."

Kitsune smiled.

"Ok, Keitaro," Haruka said, turning to Keitaro, "I'm going to show you what you're to do."

"Yeah."

Haruka stood in a cleaning stance, as if she was about to start sweeping, showing Keitaro what to do.

"First, you are to sweep all of the _onsen_ area," she said, handing him the broom, "Kitsune will bring you back to me when you're done so I can tell you what to do next."

"Yeah."

"Can you repeat that for me?"

"Sweep _onsen_ area. Come with Kitsune to you."

"Good. I'll see you when you're done."

Haruka walked off, back down to her tea shop. Kitsune sat on a rock near the partition door, watching Keitaro as he started cleaning.

**((Ten minutes later...))**

Keitaro had completely finished sweeping all of the _onsen_. He surprised even Kitsune, as in only ten minutes, he had cleaned the area until it was more or less spotless, whereas it would've taken around 20 minutes to half an hour.

That fast, and he didn't even break a bead of sweat. Kitsune smiled at him, impressed.

"Wow," she started, giving him a light pat on the back, "great job, Keitaro!"

"Yeah. Great job." he repeated, the traces of a smile, albeit forced, on his face.

"Right, let's get you to Haruka."

With that, they left for Haruka's café.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Haruka's Café - 12.43 pm))**

Keitaro and Kitsune enter the nearly-full café, where they can just make out Haruka and Mutsumi serving over the counter at the far end of the café. Mutsumi notices the two and walks over to them, her omni-present smile still on her face, and guides them to an empty table.

"_Konnichiwa_! Can I get you anything?" she said, cheerfully.

"No, _arigato_," Kitsune replied, "but can you tell Haruka-_san_ we're waiting for her, _dozo_?"

"_Hai_."

Mutsumi walked back to the counter to inform Haruka of the two. Looking over to Kitsune and Keitaro, she held a finger up as if to say 'one moment'. After she had finished serving some customers, she made her way to the two and knelt beside them.

"So," Haruka said, "how did he do?"

"Brilliantly. He finished in ten minutes, and the onsen area is spotless."

"Sounds good. Bear with me for a moment and I'll come back up with you."

**((A few minutes later...))**

The trio reached the top of the steps, and turned to go to an old utility shed behind the building. The building was completely covered in dust, looking as if it hadn't been used for months. Years, perhaps. Maybe even decades. Haruka, hacking and spluttering as the dust bombarded the trio, ventured into the shed, ripping cobwebs away as she did so. Pulling out a bucket and cloth that, strangely enough, looked good as new, she gave it to Keitaro.

"Ok, what I want you to do now Keitaro," she said, still coughing and spluttering, the dust making her hair look grey, "...is clean the..."

She trailed off as she noticed Keitaro giggling with slight mirth; with Kitsune doing the same.

"What's so funny?" she asked, a lopsided grin pulling at the side of her mouth.

"Haruka dusty, funny." Keitaro said, still giggling.

Haruka shook her head slightly, the grin turning into a fond smile.

"Anyway," Haruka continued, clearing her throat after a few moments, "I want you to clean all the windows on the ground floor; outside first, then inside. Now, what did I just ask you to do?"

"Clean all ground floor windows; outside first, inside last."

"Good. Follow me."

Keitaro and Kitsune did so, following her to the front of Hinata Sou.

"Start here, and work your way around. Once you've finished, you're done for the day."

"Yeah."

Haruka gave Keitaro a little smile before walking back down the stone steps to her café. Keitaro then started to clean the windows, Kitsune keeping another eye on him.

Little did they know that they, Keitaro in particular, were being watched.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Second Floor Hallway - present time))**

Motoko and Naru were watching Keitaro from the second floor window, overlooking the small town. Motoko had a slight scowl on her face, Naru with a firm expression, her arms folded.

"How do you propose we get rid of him, Motoko-_chan_?"

"This may sound rather absurd, but it will not involve me using my _Shinmei_ techniques. Anyway, he cleaned the _onsen_, did he not?"

"_Hai_."

"Well, all we do is make a mess out there, to make it look as if he has neglected his duties as _kanrinin_."

"Ahh..." Naru said, understanding what Motoko is getting at, "so we just make a mess of his jobs, and hope that he gets into trouble?"

"That is correct."

Naru's face formed a wicked grin.

"That just might work... good thinking, Motoko-_chan_!"

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's room - 1.53 pm))**

Keitaro had just finished cleaning all the first floor windows, inside and out, and put the bucket and cloth back in it's original place. He then went back to his room with Kitsune and sat on his futon.

"You did a good job today, Keitaro." she said, giving him a friendly rub on the shoulder.

"Yeah." he replied.

"Did you like doing the work?"

"Yeah. Liked work."

"Are you looking forward to working tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

She smiled at him and stood up.

"Well, I think I'll go to the _onsen_ for a bath. See you later, Keitaro." she said, giving him a small kiss on the head, making him blush faintly. He laid on his futon and curled up into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Onsen - 1.57 pm))**

Humming a tune quietly to herself, Kitsune walked out to the _onsen_ wrapped in a towel, her smile from earlier still present. As soon as she walked through the partition door, she didn't feel the cleanliness from after Keitaro had cleaned up earlier. Instead, she felt trances of dirt and grit under her bare feet.

_Huh? That's strange..._ she thought, _Keitaro cleaned all of this thoroughly. How did it get so dirty all of a sudden?_

Opening her eyes partly, she noticed that the area surrounding the onsen looked nothing like earlier after Keitaro had cleaned it. Instead, leaves, _sakura_ petals and twigs were scattered randomly all over the ground, with some floating around in the bath water. The ground looked very dirty, with some grit scattered around.

_This can't have just happened on its own. Someone must have done this on purpose._

The sound of the partition door opening again revealed Naru and Motoko walking out, also wrapped in towels. They stopped behind Kitsune, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

Yet, little did Kitsune know that it was actually them two who had created this mess. While her back was turned, Naru and Motoko turned to each other, snickered inaudibly, then turned to face the front, widening their eyes and feigning innocence once more.

"I thought Keitaro cleaned this up?" Naru asked.

"Urashima..." Motoko hissed, still feigning unawareness, "...how dare he neglect his duties as _kanrinin_!"

"But, how could he neglect his duties if this was spotless earlier?" Kitsune asked, turning to face Naru and Motoko.

"He mustn't have done it good enough."

"He did," Kitsune retorted, "I watched him."

"Did you watch him closely enough, however?" Motoko asked, suspiciously.

"I did! He did a brilliant job!" Kitsune protested.

"I'm gonna drag that son of a bitch down here and make him do it all again..." Naru growled, feigning rage, stomping inside.

"Naru, wa --" Kitsune tried to protest again, but the slamming of the partition door made it clear that Naru had no intention of stopping for anyone.

* * *

**(Naru's P.O.V.)**

**((Hinata Sou, Outside Kanrinin's Room - 2.01 pm))**

_Hee hee... this plan is going to work!_

_Though, I can't help but feel guilty about this... he DID do a good job after all._

_...Gah! What am I thinking?! He has no right to be kanrinin! He is a male, and this is an all-girls dorm. A male being kanrinin of this place just doesn't work out._

_But... he does have his good points. He's innocent -- agh. I need to stop thinking like this! C'mon Naru, bring him out of there before you lose your will!_

**(End Naru's P.O.V.)**

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 2.02 pm))**

Naru flung the partition door open, and noticed Keitaro lying on his futon. He was curled up in a ball; his knees held to his chest, sleeping peacefully. She slowly walked up to him, pulled his futon sheet back and prepared to grab him by the shoulders and pull him up, but stopped to watch him in his sweet slumber.

_I never noticed how cute he looked before,_ she thought, her lips curling into a faint smile, _especially when he is asleep. He looks so peaceful..._

Her thoughts trailed off, as she seemed to have a sudden change of heart.

_No... I can't do this. It's not fair to him..._ the reasonable part of her mind thought.

_What?! You can't let him stay here! He's a male; a pervert! Kami only knows what he could do if he stays here any longer!_ retorted the non-reasonable part.

_But he's done nothing wrong! The more I think about what happened the other night, the more I realise that it was an accident. You can't blame him for being curious, surely, if he's heard nothing like that before?_

_That's not the point! He is still a male! A pervert, for crying out loud! He saw us all half-naked, including Su and Shinobu! And they're only young teenagers!_

After an ongoing battle between reason and non-reason, the reasonable part of her mind ended up the overall winner. Naru felt her eyes misting up upon thinking back to the words she and Motoko said the other night...

_**"...What if that pervert comes in here while we're bathing to slake his perverted urges?..."**_

_**"...He has already shown himself as a common pervert..."**_

_**"...How can you defend him after what he tried this morning?..."**_

A single tear slid down her cheek as she came to a realisation.

_Why...? Why did Motoko insult him? Why did I insult him? He's done nothing wrong all this time... Haruka was right. He can't help what he does. It's like he can't tell right from wrong._

Naru pulled the sheet back over Keitaro, covering his shoulders. Making sure nobody was looking, she gave him a light kiss on the forehead.

"(_Gomen_, Keitaro...)" she whispered, "(...can you forgive me?)"

She stood up and walked to the door, stopping to glance over her shoulder at Keitaro's sleeping form once more. She smiled weakly, another tear sliding down her cheek, then walked out, closing the door behind her.

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER FOUR_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Wow... 15 reviews?? Bloody hell.

Anyway, another chapter down; dunno how many more to go... thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Could this be the start of Naru finally lightening up and seeing Keitaro in a new light? You'll just have to wait and see...

Until next chapter...

_- GaC -_


	5. A Secret Kept Silent

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
((...)) - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Five_ :::** _A Secret Kept Quiet... Payback Is Sweet  
_

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Onsen - 2.04 pm))**

It had been two minutes since Naru went up to Keitaro's room to bring him down to clear up the mess. Motoko, knowing that it never normally takes this long for Naru to bring someone down if she is in one of her stubborn, less than friendly moods, makes her way back inside. Looking up the stairs, she sees no sign of Naru or Keitaro approaching the landing. Hearing no footsteps either,she immediately assumes something must have gone wrong.

_This is strange..._ she thought, _Naru-sempai should have brought him down here by now. I think I will see what is going on._

She proceeds to make her way up the stairs. Her destination; the _kanrinin_'s room, with her trusted _katana_ by her side.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Outside Kanrinin's Room - 2.05 pm))**

Motoko slowly made her way down the hallway as not to alert the attention of any of the other tenants.

_Here I come._

As soon as she was about to open the door, she decided to wait for a moment longer. As the moments wore on, Motoko became more and more anxious, concerned about her friend. She then got ready to open the door, but Naru beat her to the mark. She noticed that Naru had tear stains on her cheeks, her eyes red and puffy, her face slightly reddened. Upon seeing Motoko about to open the door, Naru's expression quickly turned to surprise as she closed the door behind her; the tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"M-M-M-Motoko-_chan_?" she stammered.

"Naru-_sempai_? What happened?" Motoko asked, noticing the tear marks on her cheeks and her puffy red eyes. Her teeth began to grit together, "Did that pervert touch you in any way?" she asked in a low hiss, her teeth still gritted. Naru gave no reply, only succeeding in making Motoko begin to assume the worst. "He shall face my wrath...!" she growled, unsheathing her katana, ready to kick the door off it's hinges.

"No, wait!"

Motoko's expression softened slightly; slowly turning quizzical.

"...Naru-_sempai_?" she asked, confused.

"I..." Naru stammered again.

"You... what?"

"I... I cannot go through with this plan anymore!"

Motoko's expression turned from quizzical to stunned.

"But... we have to get rid of this pervert," she stammered, her eyes narrowing and her eyebrows twitching, "are you forgetting what he tried to do to Kitsune-_san_? And when he walked in on us while we were in the hot spring on his first night here?He is nothing but a plague!"

"No... you're wrong..."

"How? All males are common perverts. He is no exception."

"Motoko-_chan_... come to my room, and I'll explain."

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Room 304 - 2.16 pm))**

"...and that's why I cannot go on with this plan," Naru stated, bowing her head in shame.

Motoko mused for a moment. The words that were said two nights ago flooded back to her too...

_**"...What if that pervert comes in here while we're bathing to slake his perverted urges?..."**_

_**"...He has already shown himself as a common pervert..."**_

_**"...How can you defend him after what he tried this morning?..."**_

_**"...If it was me he tried pulling his moves on, I would show him no mercy..."**_

"Hmm... you are right there. I suppose he does seem less and less perverted the more you think about it."

She bowed her head in shame.

"That means that all this time, we have tried to remove him in dishonourable ways from this estate, without giving him a chance. We did not even give Kitsune-_san_ a chance to show us his innocence for what it is... what would _ane-ue_ think if she were to hear of this?"

Naru's face showed a firm expression.

"We can only do one thing."

"That is?"

"Confess everything. Then apologise."

Motoko's face turned so white that she could camouflage herself with snow; her eyes widening and mouth opening in complete shock.

"C-Confess?" she whispered frantically, "To... Haruka-_sempai_?! That is madness!"

"No. To Kitsune-_san_. How do you think Haruka-_san_ would react if we told her? She would kick us out for good! You saw what she was like at that first house meeting!"

Motoko calmed down slightly.

"You are right. But... how do you propose we tell Kitsune-_san_ without Haruka-_san_ becoming suspicious?"

"Hmm... good point," Naru pondered, "I suppose I will take her aside after dinner."

"Good idea." Motoko nodded with a slight smile.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 6.41 pm))**

Dinner came and went with no incidents, although there was a very awkward silence looming over everyone. Naru and Motoko were very out of character, as they were unusually subdued and reserved, more so than normal. Kitsune had just come back downstairs after ensuring Keitaro got to his room safely.

_I needto talk with Naru and Motoko..._

She spotted them waiting at the table for her, though she never knew that.

"Naru? Motoko?" Kitsune said, "Can I talk to you both in private?"

"Ah!" Naru and Motoko yelped simultaneously, "W-What a coincidence, Kitsune-_san_! We need to t-talk to you too!"

Kitsune had a perplexed look on her face.

"Uh... okay," she replied, scratching the back of her head,"why don't we go to my room and talk there?"

Naru and Motoko nodded hastily, confusing Kitsune even more. They followed her up to her room.

_What's with those two?_ Kitsune wondered. _They're so jumpy today..._

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Room 205 - 6.42 pm))**

Motoko, Naru and Kitsune were sitting at a _kotatsu_ table located in the middle of the room; the former two looking very shifty and shady. Kitsune cracked open a bottle of saké and took a couple of small sips from it before commencing.

"Now..." the fox girl started, tilting her head downwards slightly, "what I wanted to talk to you both about is this. During dinner, I noticed that you both looked... well, sorta subdued; more so than normal. I was wondering... is something bothering you both?"

"W-Well..." Naru stuttered, avoiding all eye contact with her best friend, "let's just say... that it involves Keitaro."

The last comment struck a chord deep down within Kitsune.

"Keitaro?" she replied almost immediately, her head snapping up, worry on her face, "What about him?"

"Well," Motoko said, shifting around uncomfortably, averting her gaze towards the ground, "do you remember when we went out for a bath, and we found all that mess?"

Kitsune started to become more and more suspicious.

"Yeah, I remember. But... what are you both getting at?"

Naru gulped, before taking a deep breath.

"You see..."

Another uncomfortable pause looms over the room.

"What? What is it?"

"...It was me and Motoko who caused all that mess. We did it so we could make it look like Keitaro neglected his duties as _kanrinin_. To get him into trouble."

A deathly silence fills the room upon this confession. The look on Kitsune's face could only be described as complete and utter shock.

_They did WHAT...?!!_ she thought, her feelings of concern for her two friends replaced by a maelstrom of sheer anger, building up with the passing of each second. _I don't believe it... how could they do such a thing?!_

"N-Now," Naru began to stutter again, "we understand i-if you're... angry at u --"

Kitsune finally exploded. She stood up and slammed her fists down on the table - hard. Hard enough for anyone outside to hear. Her eyes were open fully; a fire that had never been seen in those fox-like eyes came roaring into life. Her face was red with rage

"Angry? Angry?! Naru, this isn't angry... this is way, WAY beyond angry; I am completely pissed off!" Kitsune bellowed. If her voice were a gust of wind, it would have been beyond hurricane force, andNaru and Motoko would have been blown right through the wall into the horizon by now. "I can't believe you and Motoko would stoop so low as to try and get rid of Keitaro - who you both know fully well is severely disabled - in such a heartless and callous way!"

Naru and Motoko were rooted to the spot in shock. They had never seen Kitsune like this before. The said person turned to face Naru.

"Naru, you've had it in for him ever since he first set foot here. I know that he's male, but what reason is that not to like him? If he was a pervert, that'd be fair enough, but you know how innocent he is. He's not capable of any perverted antics, for crying out loud! "

Naru could only sit and stare, taking in every single word. Kitsune shifted her glare towards Motoko, making the kendo girl shudder.

"And Motoko, I'm very surprised with you! What is it that you speak so highly of? Honour? You claim to be an honourable warrior... yet what's so honourable about trying to get an innocent man into enough trouble to warrant getting kicked out? I see nothing honourable about that!" the fox girl hissed, emphasising the word 'honourable' by raising her voice slightly. Motoko's head snapped up at that comment, yet Kitsune continued to press on. "What's the matter, Motoko? Struck a sore point, have I? Does the truth hurt?"

The said person lowered her head in humility, her fringe hiding her face.

"Will you... tell... Haruka?" Naru managed to say in a subdued tone, frightful of igniting another tirade from her friend.

Kitsune pondered for a moment.

"I'm in two minds about it..." she said in a low tone, "...while I think I should tell Haruka about your uncalled-for attempt to get her nephew kicked out, I also don't want you two to be on the receiving end of Haruka's temper once again. So, I'll keep this little conversation between the three of us hush-hush... under two conditions."

"N-Name them," Naru stuttered uneasily.

"Yes, please do," Motoko followed up.

Kitsune's angry glare turned to her regular foxy grin.

_Uh oh... what now?_ Naru and Motoko thought at the same time.

"Well... while it's not my place to do this," Kitsune said, "condition number one is to clean up ALL the mess you both made. Keitaro and I will be watching over you both."

Naru and Motoko's jaws dropped to the vicinity of their ankles.

"B-B-B-But --"

"ALL of it?!"

"No buts about it... unless you want to find yourselves out of a home."

The two bowed their heads in defeat.

"...What's the second condition?" Naru muttered.

"Condition number two... promise me you will NEVER insult or attempt to hurt Keitaro ever again. Not just for Haruka, but for me. I've taken a liking to him, and the last thing I want to see is to see him going through any hurt."

Naru wasted no time in agreeing to the terms. She nodded her head hastily.

"And what about you, Motoko?" Kitsune asked.

"...I acquiesce." she muttered in a low tone.

"What's that?"

"I too acquiesce to your terms. They are just and fair."

"Good. Now let's get Keitaro, then get you two down to the _onsen_. Just let me get something first."

Kitsune rooted through her cupboard. After a few moments of looking, she pulled out the item Naru and Motoko least expected her to use; a whip. They stared at her in shock.

"Off we go! We don't want you to put this off and get Haruka pissed off now, do we?"

"No, ma'am!" Naru replied, running out of the room with Motoko not far behind.

"So, let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Onsen - 6.51 pm))**

Keitaro and Kitsune, with an embarrassed Motoko and Naru shifting their way slowly behind them, dressed in matching nondescript t-shirts and denim shorts, entered the _onsen_ area. Kitsune sat next to Keitaro on a rock, her whip and a bottle of saké at hand, while the latter two started to slowly sweep up all the dirt and grit on the stony ground. Unfortunately for them, they were going at nowhere near Keitaro's pace, and were putting even less effort into it, so Kitsune decided to break out the whip.

"Hey, faster! No slacking!" she yelled with a big grin spreading across her face, chuckling gleefully. Whether her mirth was out of amusement of watching the two, or just out of sheer sadism from using the whip, it was hard to tell. She took a swig of the saké she brought with her, and cracked the whip at them both.

"Yes, ma'am!" Naru replied hastily.

"As you wish!"

_Damn... I never knew Kitsune was such a slavedriver..._ Naru thought.

_How humiliating... having to stoop this low,_ Motoko thought with a blush, _and Urashima watching over me makes this even more embarrassing. But this has to be done if we do not wish to incur Haruka-sempai's wrath. I suppose this is Kitsune's idea of retribution for all the times we insulted him._

Keitaro tapped Kitsune on the shoulder. She leaned her ear towards him.

"Why are Naru and Motoko cleaning _onsen_?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, just something I had them do," she replied with a smile.

"Cleaning _onsen_ is my job."

"Don't you worry none, sweetie. Haruka has some jobs for you to do tomorrow."

"Yeah."

She smilled sweetly at him, and ruffled his hair affectionately, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek at the same time, making him blush.

"Do you want some saké?" she offered.

"No. Don't like saké."

"Not a liker of saké, eh?"

"No."

She took another swig of the bottle.

It was an hour and a half before Motoko and Naru finished cleaning the onsen area. But Kitsune had one last act of humility up her sleeve. Wheeling the dustbin over to the far side of the onsen, she tipped all the contents out onto the ground, making a bigger mess in that area than what had covered the entire _onsen._ She couldn't help but double over in laughter at the expressions on Naru and Motoko's faces.

"You missed a spot."

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER FIVE_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Sheesh... thank God this chapter's done. I hope it was worth reading; it took me ages to write the damn thing... though I hope my efforts weren't in vain.

I know the sudden changes of mind within Naru and Motoko weren't realistic, but I couldn't think of any other way to write it. So, sorry. But I hope I made up for that by having Naru and Motoko finally get their comeuppance... in a humiliating fashion. :D

Over 10,000 words already? Hmm... I'm guessing this fanfic will finish with 30,000 words. We'll just wait and see, eh.

Expect Chapter Six to be posted up by Sunday the latest; tonight the earliest. And I will introduce a new character... none other than Keitaro's little stepsister, Kanako.

Anyway... until next time,

_- GaC -_


	6. Kanako's Arrival: Animosity Refuelled

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

**

* * *

::: AUTHOR'S NOTE :::**

Rather than a disclaimer, I thought it'd be best to put this down as an author's note. I do not own the song I will be using somewhere near the end of this chapter. It's called 'Let It Be' by The Beatles. So don't sue.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.  
_Underlined italics_ denote song lyrics.

* * *

**_Chapter Six_ :::** _Kanako's Arrival... Animosity Refuelled

* * *

_

**[[Hinata Sou, Front - 5.47 pm]]**

The weekend had arrived at Hinata Sou. A woman of around 18 years of age, dressed entirely in black, stood at the top of the stone steps. Removing her hat, she untied the hairband holding her hair in a ponytail, causing her sable hair to flutter in rhythm with the falling _sakura_ petals in the calm spring breeze that added to the atmosphere of serenity and calmness, with the soothing scent of the said petals, that already filled the air. She adjusted her black blouse, and stared intently at the old building. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head downwards and smiled reminiscently, recalling the fondest memories of her childhood.

"_Oniichan_... I've missed you so much. But I'm here now."

She stepped slowly towards the old building, stopping at the front door. She put her hand on one the walls and stroked it lightly.

"Still as majestic as ever," she said with a smile.

She stepped through the front door into the building.

**

* * *

**

**[[Hinata Sou, Living Room - 5.49 pm]]**

The young woman stepped inside the living, stopping as she closed the front door. An eerie silence filled the room, penetrated only by the ticking of the old clock on the wall. Placing her backpack on the floor and slipping her shoes off, she sat on the sofa. A few moments later, she heard footsteps. Turning around to see who it was, she could see Kitsune walking down the footsteps, a contented look on her fox-like features, whistling a tune to herself. She stopped upon seeing the young woman, opening her eyes slightly.

"Hello," she said, breaking the silence, "can I help you?"

The sable-haired woman stood up from the sofa and approached Kitsune.

"As a matter of fact, _hai_," she spoke, "do you know if Keitaro Urashima lives here?"

"Keitaro? Why, yes, he does. He's the _kanrinin_. Your name is...?"

"Kanako. Kanako Urashima."

_Kanako? I heard that name somewhere before..._ thought Kitsune.

She paused as she tried to remember who told her that name.

_...Haruka-san. I remember now. Kanako is Keitaro's stepsister._

"You are... Keitaro's sister, correct?" asked Kitsune.

"_Hai_," replied Kanako, "how did you know?"

"Your aunt told me."

Kanako looked up the stairs.

"Where is _oniichan_, anyway? I can't wait to see him again."

"Oh, he's upstairs in his room. Do you want me to get him for you, or do you want to come up to him?"

"I'd rather go up to him, if that's okay?"

"Either way's fine."

Kanako smiled. She followed Kitsune up the stairs to the first floor.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Outside Kanrinin's Room - 5.53 pm]]**

Kitsune and Kanako arrived outside Keitaro's bedroom door, the latter about to open the door when Kitsune stops her. Kanako is about to protest, but Kitsune silences her.

"Hey," she whispered so as not to attract Keitaro's attention, "you haven't seen your brother for a while, right? Well, how about we surprise him? I'll go in first and tell him he has someone here to see him, then on my cue, you enter the room."

Kanako smiled again, then nodded happily. Kitsune slid the door open and entered the room, closing the door shut behind her.

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - seconds later]**

Keitaro is sitting at a low table, watching the TV with his sketchbook open in front of him. He was sat perfectly still, his hands positioned in his lap having completed another of his sketches. Now focused on the TV, Kitsune could see that he was watching a football match. She walked over to him and sat next to him, her eyes slightly open with an endearing smile adorning her face.

"Hey there, sweetie," she said, averting her gaze towards the TV.

"Hello, Kitsune-_san_," he replied.

"AC Milan 1 - 3 Juventus, huh?"

"Yeah. All three goals from Juventus in the first half."

"Cool," she said. After watching a few moments longer, she turned back to Keitaro.

"Hey, you have a surprise visitor. Do you want to know who it is?"

"Yeah."

Kitsune stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Hearing this whistle, Kanako slid the door open and stepped in, standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. Keitaro turned and looked at her. He stood up when he saw her, recognising her immediately.

"Ka-_chan_?" he asked.

"Hello, _oniichan_," Kanako said, her smile still present, "it's been a while."

Setting her bags aside, she proceeded to walk up to him. Upon reaching him, she stretched her arms out towards him and gave him a slight hug; slight enough so as not to make his sensitivity to another person's touch go into overdrive, but not to make him think that she thought nothing of him either. Kitsune watched with happiness for the two siblings.

"I missed you so much," Kanako said in a subdued tone as Keitaro returned the hug.

"Yeah. Missed you too, Ka-_chan_."

After a few moments, where nothing else mattered as far as Kanako was concerned, they both broke off the hug, the younger Urashima leaning in once more to give her older stepbrother a peck on the lips, holding his hands in hers.

"So I heard the institution let you stay here."

"Yeah."

"What did you do this week?"

"Cleaned _onsen_. Washed windows. Sketched Kitsune. Went to Haruka's café, and had coffee with milk and sugar. Milk and sugar weren't on the table before the coffee."

"Cleaned the _onsen_ and washed the windows?" Kanako asked, raising an eyebrow while turning her gaze towards Kitsune.

"He's the _kanrinin_ here now," Kitsune stated, "so Haruka said he could do the little jobs here. Nothing like using the iron stove or cleaning the outside first and second floor windows though - no dangerous jobs like that."

"I see."

Kanako looked back towards Keitaro.

"Did you enjoy working?"

"Yeah. Cleaning the _onsen_ was good."

At that moment, the board covering the hole in the celing was covered, revealing Naru poking her head through the hole.

"Hey, what's going on here? I thought I heard another..."

She trailed off as she saw Kitsune with a hand on Keitaro's shoulder, and Kanako holding Keitaro's hands in hers. Unfortunately, Naru quickly assumed the worst, all feelings of regret for her actions pushed aside, and thought Keitaro was making a move on them both, obviously forgetting the promise her and Motoko made to Kitsune.

"Keitaro....!" she said, her fist trembling. She was about to continue, but calmed down when she saw Kitsune staring daggers at her.

"(Don't forget our little deal now,)" Kitsune whispered inaudibly, "(unless you wanna be kicked out.)"

As if she couldn't forget. Kitsune's voice rang through her head as she remembered.

_**"...I'll keep this little conversation between the three of us hush-hush..."  
  
"...Promise me you will NEVER insult or attempt to hurt Keitaro ever again..."**_

Naru's expression softened, and she skulked back into her room. Kanako, a confused and slightly angered look on her face, looked at the hole separating Naru's and Keitaro's room, then turned back to Kitsune.

"What's her problem? What does she hold against my dear _oniichan_?"

Kitsune sighed.

"I think you better come to my room. I'll explain there."

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Room 205 - 6.03 pm]]**

"THEY DID WHAT???!!!"

The silence and the calm, peaceful aura around Hinata Sou were suddenly shattered as Kanako's fierce bellow rang throughout every hall and room. Kitsune was taken aback by the younger Urashima's sudden, albeit unsurprising, change in mood.

"Now now, Kanako-san, calm do --"

"Calm down?! CALM DOWN?! They insulted _oniichan_ and stripped him of his dignity, knowing that he was severely disabled all the time!"

She sat down, growing even more furious with every passing minute.

"When I get my hands on those two... I shall show them the true meaning of pain!" she growled, venom dripping from every word.

"...Kanako-_san_, you needn't worry; I've already sorted it out," Kitsune protested, waving her hands around. "I made them promise not to do anything else to him unless they wanted to be evicted, and nothing more has been said about it."

"I don't care if it's already been sorted out!" Kanako suddenly bellowed again, her fury reaching boiling point as she stood up and stormed out of the room, heading towards Naru's room, "Nobody does that to _oniichan_ and gets away with it!"

_Damn,_ thought Kitsune, a sweatdrop confirming pure, 100% fear forming on her head, _Hell hath no fury like Kanako scorned. I wouldn't want to think of what she'd do if she got her hands on Naru or Motoko... not like they can't defend themselves, though._

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Room 304 - 6.07 pm]]**

Kanako stomped her way up the stairs, rather than disturb Keitaro and go through the hole in his room. As soon as she got to Naru's room, she kicked the door down. The said person spun around to reveal an extremely irate Kanako; her teeth bared, fists trembling, face reddened, and eyebrows twitching. Naru backed away a little, her eyes widening as she notices Kanako advancing slowly towards her, with every intent to batter her to oblivion.

"You... BITCH...!" Kanako growled, a dangerous glint of malice in both of her eyes, making Naru flinch.

"What?" Naru asked, "What did I do --"

She got no time to finish as Kanako sped forward and kicked the _kotatsu_ table, flipping it over. She then grabbed Naru by the hair and pinned her against the wall, moving her face until it was just inches from Naru's and leered at her.

"You know all too well what you did," she spat, "you and 'kendo girl' Aoyama treating my _oniichan_ with no dignity!"

"B-But we apologised about tha --"

Kanako delivered a hard, stinging slap to Naru's cheek, leaving the young woman stunned momentarily. She then leaned in towards her ear, and began to whisper.

"(I don't CARE if you apologised. The fact is that you actually had the nerve to do that to him in the first place. What makes it worse is that he's more vulnerable than anyone else.)"

Naru lowers her head slightly. Kanako continues whispering.

"(When you hurt _oniichan_, you hurt me. Now it's time for you to taste some of your own medicine. Class is Pain 101. Your instructor is Kanako Urashima.)"

Slumping down to the floor, Naru's eyes widened as Kanako stepped back and got into a battle stance. She was ready to attack, when Kitsune burst into the room and grabbed Kanako under the arms, preventing her from attacking Naru in any way.

"Kitsune-_san_...?!" Kanako gasped, trying to struggle free, "L-Let me go! I'm going to teach that bitch a lesson in pain!"

"Kanako-_san_," Kitsune said, trying to hold Kanako back, "I told you before, it's all been sorted out! Why don't we just leave it at that? I made them clean the mess they made in the _onsen_ as penitence for what they did."

"And I said before, I don't care!"

A voice interrupted them from the doorway.

"...Naru-_sempai_? What is going on here?"

Motoko was standing there. She had come down from the laundry deck to inspect all the commotion and found herself in Naru's room. She spotted a still-irate Kanako being held back by Kitsune, with Naru stood against the wall, her eyes widened in fear and shock. A fresh red handprint marked where Kanako had slapped her earlier. Turning her gaze towards Kanako, Motoko narrowed her eyes and bared her _katana_ in one quick motion, pointing it at her. The traces of sunlight shining in from the hallway window made the blade of her _katana_ glimmer ominously.

"So, you have the gall to break into Naru-_sempai_'s room and threaten her? I shall show you the error of your ways."

Kanako simply shrugged off her threat.

"You even try it, and I'll give you a lesson in true punishment," she simply stated, "I don't care if you know kendo; you hurt my _oniichan_, and I will come for you."

She broke away from Kitsune's grip and proceeded to walk out of the room. Before doing so, however, she exchanged one final glare with Motoko.

"(You're next, Aoyama.)"

All three young women stared as Kanako left, with various thoughts running through their heads. Kitsune faced out the window and placed a hand on her chin in thought, stepping out the room.

_Oh, boy... I shouldn't have told Kanako-san._

Naru stood up and walked out of the room, looking down the hall the same direction as Kanako left in.

_That girl... she said 'oniichan'. Wait, that must mean... she's Keitaro's sister?_

Motoko sheathed her sword and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes.

* * *

**  
[Kanako's P.O.V.]**

**[[Hinata Sou, Laundry Deck - 6.24 pm]]**

_Well, my plans to enact sweet retribution upon that self-righteous skank for oniichan were scuppered. But I'll get her next time._

_No ifs, no buts. There will be a next time._

_I guarantee it._

_And I'll get kendo girl once I've done with her._

_No-one hurts oniichan, and gets away with it._

**[End Kanako's P.O.V.]**

* * *

**  
[[Hinata Sou, Laundry Deck - 9.46 pm]]**

Keitaro was sat on the laundry deck, looking through the railings at the small town and the sea stretching into the horizon. The night sky was clear, with the dim light of the stars visible to the naked eye. The moonlight was reflected off the sea, making the view even more picturesque. He was fidgeting with his hands and rocking back and forth slightly, humming the tune of 'Mysterious Ways' by U2 to himself. Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs leading to the deck. Turning around, he sees Kanako, obviously hiding something as her hands were behind her back; a heartwarming smile on her face. He swivels around to face her.

"Hey, oniichan."

"Hello."

"You like the view here?"

"Yeah, buildings are very sparkly. Sea is shiny."

She walked up to him, still smiling, her hands still behind her back.

"..._Oniichan_?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a present for you. Close your eyes, and hold out your hands."

"Yeah."

Putting down whatever she was hiding behind her back carefully as not to arouse her brother's attention, she demonstrated so he could understand what she meant.

"Like this."

Keitaro did the same as she had shown him. Kanako picked up the present and placed it in his hands.

"Okay. You can open your eyes now."

Slowly but surely, he did as he was told. Upon opening his eyes, he could see the present that Kanako had given him. It was a nylon-strung acoustic guitar, with a solid spruce top, mahogany sides and back, dot-inlaid fingerboard, mahogany neck and glossed finish. A smile formed on Keitaro's face, making Kanako's smile widen even more.

"I knew you liked music," Kanako explained, "so I thought I'd get an instrument for you. Oh, look at the back. There's a message."

He turned the guitar over to reveal a message written in permanent ink.

_**Dzuki oniichan, ore furoirain otaku.**_

_**Motte issai mai aijou,**_

_**-- Kanako**_

"_Arigato_, Ka-_chan_," he replied, still beaming. The smile on his face would have lit up a dark room. He stood up, placing the guitar down carefully, and ruffled Kanako's hair affectionately. She gave him a kiss on the cheek in response, making him blush and her giggle. Picking up the guitar again, he sat back down and stared back towards the sea again, with Kanako taking a seat next to him. He started to play on the guitar - a tune Kanako instantly recognised - and started singing.

_When I find myself in times of trouble  
__Mother Mary comes to me  
__Speaking words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

Kanako started to sing along.

_And in my hour of darkness  
__She is standing right in front of me  
__Speaking words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__Speaking words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

_And when the broken-hearted people  
__Living in the world agree  
__There will be an answer  
__Let it be_

_For though they may be parted  
__There is still a chance that they will see  
__There will be an answer  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__Yeah, there will be an answer  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__Whisper words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

Another person was making their way up the steps up to the laundry deck. It was Haruka. She had come up to get Kanako and Keitaro, but when she noticed that Keitaro was playing the guitar and singing, she figured it'd be best not to disturb him.

_Ahhh... this was Keitaro's favourite song when he was younger_, thought Haruka, a fond smile on her face, leaning against the far railing as she continued to listen to her nephew, _I must have known this'd be the first one he'd play._

_And when the night is cloudy  
__There is still a light that shines on me  
__Shine until tomorrow  
__Let it be_

_I wake up to the sound of music  
__Mother Mary comes to me  
__Speaking words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__There will be an answer  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__There will be an answer  
__Let it be_

_Let it be, let it be  
__Let it be, let it be  
__Whisper words of wisdom  
__Let it be_

Keitaro finished singing, placing the guitar carefully on his lap. Kanako clapped politely.

"You're still as great at playing as you were when you were younger, _oniichan_."

"Yeah."

She patted one of his hands.

"Come on, _oniichan_. Let's get you to your room."

Keitaro stood up carrying his new guitar, with Kanako in tow. They were about to go down the steps when they spotted Haruka, who smiled at Keitaro.

"Still good at singing and playing, eh Keitaro?"

"Yeah."

She put a hand on Keitaro's shoulder, then smiled at Kanako.

"I'll leave you two alone. I think you should spend some more time with one another."

Kanako smiled back at her. She held one of Keitaro's hands, and went back inside with him. Haruka walked up the steps and stood where Keitaro was earlier, looking down at the small town. Closing her eyes, she smiled, taking a puff of her cigarette before recalling a fond memory.

_He really is something special..._ she thought, _...and Naru and Motoko seem to be lightening up to him, too. I just wish they'd seen how special he can be sooner rather than later._

**

* * *

****::: _END CHAPTER SIX_ :::**

* * *

**  
::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Well, at least this chapter was easier to write than Chapter Five. Nonetheless, they're still getting progressively harder.

Wow... 42 reviews already? I thought I'd get a lot less than that, to be honest.

Not much else to say really, except that I'm already halfway through Chapter Six, so that may be posted up by either tonight or tomorrow.

...And for some reason, I can't use the hyphens as scene breaks, so I'll have to use the horizontal rule tool instead.

'Til next time...

_- GaC -_


	7. A Secret Revealed: Keitaro's Past

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -

* * *

_**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Like the previous chapter, I do not own the song that I will use in this fanfic. Although I have no idea who originally sung it, I do know it's an Irish folk song from the Celtic ages, called 'The Fields of Athenry'.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
"((...))" - denotes flashbacks  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.  
_Underlined italics_ denote song lyrics.

* * *

**_Chapter Seven_ :::** _A Secret Revealed: Keitaro's Past

* * *

_

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 10.51 pm]]**

Keitaro is standing in front of the window, wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of loose-fitting, nondescript tracksuit bottoms. He is staring at the twinkling lights of the small town below, rocking back and forth slightly. Naru enters his room through the hole in the ceiling, wearing her pyjamas.

"Hey, Keitaro," she said, upon entering the bedroom, "how're you doing?"

No reply.

"Keitaro?"

An incoherent mumbling.

"What did you say?"

Still no reply.

"Keitaro, will you just look at me, please? I'm trying to talk to you."

Slightly annoyed by Keitaro's persistance in staring out the window rather than listening to her, she walks into the bedroom. She grabs him by the shoulder and lightly turns him to face her.

"When I try to talk to you, why don't you talk? Why do you always have to ignore me?"

Silence once again.

"Huh?"

"Yeah."

Naru left the bedroom shaking her head, just as Kitsune and Kanako entered together, chatting lightly.

"Ah," Kanako said, with a smile on her face, "hi, _oniichan_."

"Hello."

"Hey there, sweetie."

"Hello."

Kitsune and Kanako both smiled kindly at him.

"Hey, Keitaro," Kitsune said, "Kanako said you had a picture of you and her when you were both younger?"

"Yeah."

"If it's ok with you, can I see it, please?"

Keitaro walked over to one of the drawers, and pulled out a picture. Indeed, it shown both Keitaro and Kanako as children. He turned the picture over, where there was a written message on the back;

**"Keitaro (6), Kanako (4)"**

"Who took this picture?" Kitsune asked, out of curiosity.

"_Otousan_," replied Keitaro.

"And you lived with her? With Kanako?"

Keitaro put the picture back in his drawer.

"Yeah."

"Not for long, though," continued Kanako, "he left in March 1988, according to _okaasan_."

"March 19th, 1988."

"You remember that?"

"Yeah."

"(Just after _otousan_ died...)" Kanako whispered to herself in an inaudible tone.

"You remember the day that you left?"

"Yeah."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kitsune's mouth as she remembered something else.

"Kanako said that you used to sing a song to her when she was little, whenever she got upset or lonely. Is that right?"

Keitaro nodded.

"What was the song you sung to her? Can you sing it to me, please?"

Keitaro stood up opened his cupboard door, and took out the guitar which Kanako gave to him as a present after arriving at Hinata Sou. He sat back down on his futon and looked out the window, staring at the small town below him as he started to sing and play his guitar.

_By a lonely prison wall  
__I heard a young man calling  
__"Michael, they have taken you away  
__For you stole Trevelyan's corn  
__So the young might see the morn  
__Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay"_

Kitsune looked at Keitaro with complete admiration, enthralled by the music and his voice.

_I never knew he had such a beautiful singing voice..._ Kitsune thought, _nor did I know he was so good at playing the guitar._

_Low lie the Fields of Athenry  
__Where once we watched the small free birds fly  
__Our love was on the wing  
__We had dreams and songs to sing  
__It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry_

_By a lonely prison wall  
__I heard a young girl calling  
__"Nothing matters Mary, when you're free  
__Against the famine and the crown  
__I rebelled; they cut me down  
__Now you must raise our child with dignity"_

Unknownst to either of the three, the board covering the hole in the ceiling was moved aside. Naru and Motoko looked down at him and listened, just as captivated by the sound of his voice and the music. They had the same thoughts as their fox-eyed friend.

"(Wow,)" Naru whispered to her friend, "(I never knew he was good at singing and playing at the guitar.)"

"(I know,)" Motoko whispered, her eyes not leaving Keitaro, "(I was wrong in thinking that sketching was his only talent.)"

"(You saw his sketchbook too?)"

"(_Hai_. That last sketch of Kitsune-_san_ was beautiful, and very flattering.)"

_Low lie the Fields of Athenry  
__Where once we watched the small free birds fly  
__Our love was on the wing  
__We had dreams and songs to sing  
__It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry_

_By a lonely harbour wall  
__She watched the last star falling  
__As the prison ship sailed out against the sky  
__Sure she'll live and hope and pray  
__For her love in Botany Bay  
__It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry_

_Low lie the Fields of Athenry  
Where once we watched the small free birds fly  
Our love was on the wing  
We had dreams and songs to sing  
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry_

Keitaro trailed off, humming the tune beautifully as he does so. Kitsune and Kanako applaud him politely.

"Did she like it when you sang to her?" Kitsune asked.

"Yeah," Keitaro replied, his voice beginning to break a little. Although the expression on his face showed no sign of sadness, his eyes began to mist up, a tear rolling down his cheek. Kitsune and Kanako noticed this.

"...Keitaro?"

"_Oniichan_?"

Keitaro began to shudder slightly, the tears starting to fall now. He started to mumble incoherent words to himself, which, if one were to listen closely, came out as, "Ka-_chan_ hurt... _onsen_... accident..."

Kitsune walked up to him and put a hand on his back, a look of concern etched on her face.

"Keitaro?"

Kanako leaned in towards him slightly to try and hear what he is mumbling.

"_Onsen_... hot water burn Ka-_chan_... accident..."

_Ahhh..._ Kanako thought, her hand on her chin, _...I understand now._

"What is it, Kanako-_chan_?" Kitsune asked, noticing Kanako in thought.

"I'll tell you when we get him to sleep."

Kitsune unrolled his futon with her foot, and helped Kanako place him on it. They laid him down, taking his shoes and tracksuit bottoms off, leaving him in only his t-shirt, boxer shorts and socks. Keitaro kept mumbling something which only Kanako could make out;

"_Onsen_... hot water hurt Ka-_chan_... n-never hurt Ka-_chan_... never..."

Kanako leaned in towards him, and gave him a light kiss on the head to calm him down some more, then pulled the cover of the futon over him. Keitaro curled up into a small ball, tucking his knees up to his stomach. He was still rocking slightly, so Kanako placed a caring hand on the top of his head and started to rub it soothingly.

"Come on, Kei-_kun_. It's 11.00. Sleepy-time," she whispered to him, a relaxing smile on her face. Noticing that he is still slightly weary, she starts to whisper a lullaby into his ear. The soothing sound of Kanako's voice, with the sounds of the light breeze outside, lulled him into a deep sleep. Knowing that he is asleep, going by his breathing, she smiles and gives him another kiss on the forehead. She walks over to Kitsune and sits beside her.

"I assume you're wondering what he was referring to by this, Kitsune-_san_?"

"_Hai_."

"Well..." Kanako started, with obvious discomfort.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable."

Kanako frowned.

"No, it's ok... I feel comfortable with telling you. It's just... that red-haired skank and Aoyama out there who I don't. I can tell that they still don't like _oniichan_."

Kitsune patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"They've lightened up to him though, Kanako-chan. They realised the error of their ways, remember."

Kanako's frown deepened slightly.

"Even so, I will never forgive them for the way they treated _oniichan_ when he arrived here. They broke his camera, which he had since he was 10. Only I and Haruka-_obasan_ know how many precious memories accompany that camera."

Kitsune smiled, rubbing her shoulder.

"Ok. Go ahead."

"Well, it happened when we were children. I was 8; he was 10. _Okaasan_ told me it all..."

* * *

**((Flashback - 13 years ago...))**

**[[Hinata Sou, outside - time unknown]]**

Spring time arrived once more at the small hot spring town of Hinata. The falling _sakura_ petals were scattered around, travelling with the cool breeze. A man and woman, presumably mother and father, were walking up the steps. A young boy (Keitaro) and girl (Kanako) were running up the stone steps leading to the majestic old inn.

"Keitaro-_kun_, Kanako-_chan_!" the woman called, a fond smile on her face, "Be careful running up those steps! Don't run too far ahead of us now!"

"_Hai_, _okaasan_!" they both shouted, slowing down. The mother and father exchanged amused smiles with each other.

"Ah, to be young again..." the father sighed, reminiscing.

They reached the top of the stone steps, where the two children were waiting patiently. The mother ruffled their hair affectionately, a caring smile on her face. An old woman, unusually short in stature, walked out with a pleasant grin on her face, accompanied by a girl of around 16 years of age.

"Ahh..." she sighed, "how Kanako-_chan_ and Keitaro-_kun_ have grown."

"Hina-_san_! Haruka-_san_!" the mother exclaimed happily, kneeling down to embrace them both.

"Reiko-_san_, Koji-_san_... it's nice to see you both again," Grandma Hina replied, returning the embrace.

"_Konnichiwa_ Reiko-_san_, Koji-_san_," Haruka said, a slight smile on her face, then turned to face Keitaro and Kanako, "well, hello there you two." She leaned in and embraced the two.

"How's business going?" Reiko asked.

"Business is running fine. How is your confectionary doing?" Grandma Hina replied.

"Same as usual."

Grandma Hina smiled kindly.

"Come," she said, "let's get you four inside."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Living Room]]**

Reiko and Koji were exchanging light chatter with Grandma Hina. Young Keitaro was playing with Kanako by the doorway separating the _onsen_. Leaving Kanako on her own for the time being, Keitaro approached Grandma Hina.

"Hina-_obaasan_," Keitaro asked, tugging at her sleeve slightly, "can I go into the _onsen_?"

Grandma Hina smiled sweetly, patting him on the head.

"Of course, Keitaro-_kun_."

"Can Ka-_chan_ come too?" he asked, calling Kanako by the pet name he affectionately dubbed her.

She nodded her head. Keitaro walked towards Kanako, and held one of her hands, opening to the door of the _onsen_. Just before he was about to go outside, his mother called him.

"Oh, Keitaro-_kun_," Reiko called, "keep your eye on Kanako-_chan_ and make sure she doesn't go in the water!"

"_Hai_, _okaasan_," he replied.

"Kanako-chan, you be careful!"

"_Hai_, _okaasan_!" she replied, cheerfully.

They both went outside.

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Onsen]]**

The area surrounding the bathing waters of the _onsen_ was spotlessly clean; just the way Grandma Hina liked it. The bathing waters were sparkling, clear enough to see the bottom of the bath. The stony ground wasn't exactly free of dust or grit, but it was enough to be passed off as extremely clean. Keitaro started to walk around the area; Kanako's hand in his. He stared as he walked around, absorbed in the picturesque surroundings, with the steam rising up from the water. It was this absorption in the surroundings that made him forget he was holding his younger stepsister's hand. He let go, and Kanako began to walk around in a different direction to his.

When he snapped out of his reverie, he noticed that Kanako had tripped over and landed on a particularly rough part of the stony ground, grazing her upper arms and elbows, as well as her knees and shins. In an attempt to help, Keitaro helped her up and sat her down on a wooden stool which was near the changing and drying rooms. He grabbed a bucket and ran to the nearest tap, switching it on to fill the bucket up. Unfortunately for both of them, he did not notice that it was the hot tap that he had turned on. He also did not notice that the water was steaming a lot as it was going into the bucket. Turning the tap off, he walks over to Kanako, making sure he doesn't spill the water. Taking one of her arms, he pours the water over the graze.

Kanako's piercing scream can be heard throughout the whole of Hinata Sou.

As soon as he heard the scream, Keitaro dropped the bucket; the rest of the hot water pouring out onto the ground. Just as his parents, Haruka and Grandma Hina run out to see what the commotion was, he ran over to the corner of the _onsen_ and dropped to his knees. He put his hands over his ears and started rocking back and forth, screaming loudly; the tears flowing down his cheeks.

**((End Flashback))******

* * *

"...later that day, the specialists from the institution came for _oniichan_," Kanako said, showing Kitsune the scars on her shoulder and upper arm, "and they took him away. Until I found out where he was institutionalised, I never saw anything of him again. The only memories I had of him were from childhood pictures. The loneliest days of my life were on my birthday, and at Christmas. They just didn't feel complete without _oniichan_." she finished, bowing her head in sadness as she remembered the events from that day.

Kitsune had tears running down her cheeks as Kanako finished recalling the incidents of that day.

_So that's why Keitaro's parents placed him in the institution..._ she thought, _...they were afraid he would hurt Kanako even more._

She looked sadly at Keitaro, who was the image of tranquility in his slumber, then looked back at Kanako. Leaning towards the younger Urashima, she embraced her in a heartfelt hug.

"I am so sorry to hear that..." Kitsune said, her voice slightly breaking, "I'm beginning to wish I didn't ask now, had I known that it would bring back some saddening memories."

Kanako, a surprised look on her face, hesitantly returned the embrace.

"Like I said, I don't mind telling you this. As long as the red skank and kendo girl didn't listen in, I'm okay with it."

Kitsune managed a small smile at Kanako's insistence.

"Care to go for a bath, Kanako-_san_? It'll help calm you down."

"No, _arigato_. I wish to stay with _oniichan_."

"Okay."

The fox woman stood up and left for her room to get changed, leaving Kanako alone with Keitaro. Unknown to Kanako or Kitsune, however, two pairs of eyes were watching from the room above her and Keitaro. Naru and Motoko had listened to every word of Kanako's recollection; the former with tears in her eyes, and the latter with a saddened and guilty expression on her face.

_I had no idea Keitaro had such a sad past..._ Naru thought, slowly covering the hole in her floor.

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER SEVEN_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Wow, now this was even harder to write than Chapter Five, as I'm not good at writing character's pasts. Thank God it's done, though...

I'm nearing the 20,000 word mark already. This could finish longer than first thought.

_- GaC -_


	8. Kanako's Ultimatum

**:::Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Eight_ :::** _Kanako's Ultimatum

* * *

_

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 11.49 pm]]**

It had been nearly an hour after Kanako recalled Keitaro's past to the resident fox - and the eavesdropping Naru and Motoko, unknown to her - and she had stayed by his bedside ever since. By this point, she was beginning to get tired; her eyelids drooping, her eyes red and puffy, and her head bobbing down then snapping back up again as she drifted in and out of sleep. But she put her own well-being aside, as she had promised to watch over Keitaro no matter what. They were not alone; Kitsune had just come back up from her nightly bath, dressed in nothing but a towel that was wrapped around her body. Before making her way back to her own room, she decided to take a look inside to see how Keitaro was. She noticed Kanako drifting in and out of sleep from time to time.

_Wow,_ she thought, _it's nice how protective she is of Keitaro, but she really needs some sleep._

Kitsune walked into the room up to the futon. Kanako stirred groggily as Kitsune shook her shoulder lightly to wake her up.

"How's he doing," Kitsune asked out of concern, "is he okay?"

"Oh... _hai_... _hai_..." Kanako replied, obvious tiredness beginning to take over.

Kitsune frowned a little.

"Look, Kanako-_san_," she said, kneeling beside Kanako, "I know how much you want to watch over Keitaro, but you really need a rest. Tell you what, I'll get you a futon ready, and you can go down to the _onsen_ and have a good bath to freshen yourself up. I don't fall asleep until quite late anyway, so I'll watch over him while you're gone. Okay?"

"_Hai_... if you insist."

Kanako stood up slowly, balancing herself as she did so. She stumbled out of the room and made her way to the _onsen_ as Kitsune got a spare futon and rolled it out on the floor. She then took a seat beside Keitaro, who was still sleeping soundly, give or take a couple of stirs. She looked at his sleeping form, giving a sad smile.

_I never really noticed before... but he looks even cuter when he's asleep_, she thought, a mild blush spreading across her fox-like features, _and it was surprising to learn that someone like him would have such a jaded past. He must have been really lonely; separated from Kanako all that time, having to get used to a new way of life. He really is someone special... I feel very strongly for him. Almost as if he's a brother I've never had._

Her train of thoughts ended when she heard a small, choked cry come from Keitaro. He had a saddened look on his face again, with a single tear rolling down his cheek. Quickly checking to make sure nobody was around, she pulled the futon cover back slightly and took one of his hands in both of hers, and decided to stroke his hand lightly with her thumbs. The look on his face became more contented and at ease. She gently wiped the tears from his eyes then continued to hold his hand, while continuing to look at his face; the blush and smile still present. She then brushed a few stray hairs from his face and gave him a light kiss on the lips, carressing his cheek with her right hand.

Noticing a book on the floor next to his wardrobe, she picked it up, curious as to what was inside it. Upon opening the front cover, she noticed that it was another of his sketchbooks, with at least another ten sketches. She decided to see what each one was of. The first one was a still art sketch, of a bowl of fruit, with a couple of apples, bananas, grapes and oranges in it. The second was of the hot springs during a clear, moonlit night - obviously when none of the girls were present. The detail on the moon was done to near perfection.

_Amazing..._ she thought.

Sketch number three was of Motoko in her school uniform practicing her kendo skills, most likely done unbeknownst to her. This too was done to near perfection. She smiled once again at his knack for sketching. The fourth was a picture of Kitsune just doing her casual things; drinking and lounging. This one took her aback slightly, as it was drawn down to even the smallest detail; complete with colouring in. The fifth was of a bouquet of roses laid on the kitchen table. Number six looked as if it was only done very recently. It was a full-body sketch of Kanako. She was wearing a black blouse with a white undergarment, a black skirt, black tights and black laced-up shoes, complete with a charming smile and rosy blush on her cheeks. Kitsune noticed that he had taken particular care and attention towards drawing the face, as this was done with the most detail. There was also something written underneath it in Kanji;

_**Ka-chan;**_

_**Her face is like that of a precious porcelain doll.  
**__**In the wind, her hair resembles a beautiful cascading veil of ebony.**_

The seventh, and final, sketch in the book was another facial shot of Kitsune; as always, done to even the smallest detail, complete with colouring in. She was taken aback by this slightly, as she realised that it is the drawings of her that he seems to do the most detailed out of the others; even more so than the sketch of Kanako. But this didn't surprise her as much as the message that was underneath, also in Kanji;

_**Kitsune-san;**_

_**Her hair resembles the sandy beaches of Okinawa, her face and eyes the wisdom of a fox.  
**__**But even the beauty of falling sakura petals in the cool spring breeze pale in comparison to hers.**_

It was almost possible to hear the sound of Kitsune's jaw dropping to the ground after she had read that last sentence.

_Aww... that is the sweetest thing he's ever come out with! He comes with more and more surprises every day..._ she thought with a light blush and a very gleeful smile, looking once again at her companion's sleeping form.

_Wait... could it be that he... loves me? Hmm... he does seem pretty fond of me..._

Her blush turned from a light shade of red to a violet-crimson hue as she contemplated that possibility. The sound of footsteps broke off her thoughts. She turned around to see a fully-refreshed Kanako wearing nothing but a towel, with a kind smile on her face. She noticed that Kitsune still had her brother's sketchbook opened at the last sketch.

"I see you like _oniichan_'s sketches. Especially that one, _ne_?"

Kitsune returned the smile.

"_Hai_. He's very talented in more ways than one, it seems."

Kanako sat down beside the foxy woman.

"Does he have any other talents?" Kitsune asked, curiously.

"Yes. Aside from art and music, he's also exceptionally good at maths and memorisation. He can tell you what day of the week a certain date falls on. He could also tell you what day this date would fall on next year if you asked him to."

"So that explains how he could remember the very date he went to the institution. Anyway, how good at maths?"

Kanako smiles proudly.

"Let me put it this way; ask him some maths questions and he'll give you the answer almost immediately."

"Wow."

"Anyway... I think I'll go to bed now."

"_Hai_, it is getting late. Well, _oyasumi nasai_."

"_Oyasumi nasai_."

Kitsune stood up and started to make her way to her own room. She was halfway down the corridor when she went back to Keitaro's room, remembering something.

"Oh yeah, I rolled out a spare..."

She trailed off as she saw Kanako already lying in the futon she had gotten out for her earlier. Unknown to her, though, Kanako was still awake, watching over Keitaro.

"...futon for you."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 7.41 am]]**

Morning seemed to arrive faster than anything for all of the residents, but Kanako in particular felt this. Having been up for most of the night until Kitsune offered to watch over Keitaro while she freshened up, she found herself unable to get to sleep until the early hours, causing her to miss Shinobu's call for breakfast. Not even Keitaro and Kitsune, who always comes in to bring him down, were unable to wake her from her deep sleep. Keitaro tapped Kitsune on the arm. She leaned her ear towards him.

"What's wrong with Ka-_chan_?" Keitaro asked.

"Oh, she's just sleeping. She didn't get to sleep until very late," she replied with a smile, "don't worry. She'll be fine."

"Yeah."

He sounded uncertain, so Kitsune rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. They both took their seats next to each other in the kitchen. Motoko was down first, before the pair. Naru came down third, yawning. Su came down last, which was a surprise to every, as she's normally the first one to wake up upon the call for breakfast. Kanako came down around fifteen minutes later, still rather tired.

"Good afternoon," Naru chimed sarcastically, "get your beauty sleep?"

"Looks like you need some yourself, skank," Kanako retorted.

Naru bowed her head in defeat.

"Oh, and by the way, I want to see you after breakfast."

Motoko narrowed her eyes at Kanako, who simply returned the icy glare.

"I don't know why you're looking at me like that, Aoyama; I want you to come too."

She then took her seat on the other side of Keitaro, and breakfast commenced. Like every other morning, it came and went with nothing that was worth noting happening. As soon as the other residents had finished and continued with their daily duties, Naru and Motoko waited for Kanako, just like she had asked. Kanako arrived a few minutes later.

"You... wanted to see us, Kanako-_san_?"

"_Hai_. Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"The roof."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 8.04 am]]**

Kitsune and Keitaro are both sitting opposite one another at a _kotatsu_ table. The fox-eyed woman has a calculator in her hand, presumably asking Keitaro some mathematical questions. The look on her face as she reads out some very difficult sums to Keitaro, only for him to answer them immediately with near-perfect accuracy can be summed up in two words: beyond surprised.

"Er... okay," she said, "what is..." she paused to enter another sum on the calculator, "...26,941 x 14?"

"377,174."

Kitsune presses the 'equals' button, and notices that - once again - he has gotten the answer correct.

"Um... what is the square root of 377,174, rounded to three decimal places?"

"614.144."

Her jaw drops for about the thirtieth time within the space of five minutes.

_This is unbelievable..._ she thought, her lips curling into a smile, _Kanako-san was right; the man's a mathematical whizz kid!_

"Okay, that's enough for today," she said, sliding over to Keitaro, "Congratulations, you got every one right!" she continued, patting him on the back lightly; the smile still present.

"Yeah."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Laundry Deck - 8.09 am]]**

"What is it you wanted to see us about?" Motoko asked, sounding rather impatient.

Kanako's face contorted into an icy glare which made them both shudder.

"You know very well what."

Naru and Motoko twigged on quickly.

"Your... brother?" Naru replied.

"_Hai_. What I want to know is why you both treated _oniichan_ the way you both did. Tell me the real reason."

Silence.

"Well?"

More silence.

"Don't make me resort to more drastic measures..." Kanako threatened, her glare becoming more menacing.

"W-Well..." Naru started, "it's because..."

"Kanako-_san_," Motoko continued, "we treated your brother the way we did simply because he is a male."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Kanako was trying to keep her temper under control by this point.

"I have been under the impression that all males are nothing but lowly, weak, perverted beings. When he arrived here, I thought that he was --"

"Nothing but a vile pervert." Kanako finished.

"Er... _hai_."

"And what about you, skank?"

Naru flinched at Kanako's newfound name for her, but nonetheless retained her composure.

"The same reason as Motoko."

Kanako stood still and remained silent, spending a few moments in deep thought. She then walked up to the two young women and leaned in towards Motoko, leering in her face.

"I'm giving you an ultimatum," she started as she slowly turned to face Naru, "and this goes for you too."

"Name it," Motoko said, flinching under Kanako's hawk-like gaze.

"You are both never to lay a hand on hide nor hair of _oniichan_; nor are you to insult him in any way. Kitsune-_san_ told me that she made you both agree to two conditions already, but I will not be satisfied until I say this. Anyway, if you go against this, I will ensure that Haruka-_obasan _knows about it one way or another. And I know how much she values him. I may even exaggerate a little. This is not a request. It's a warning; a command, one might say."

Naru and Motoko both gulped as they remembered Haruka's hot-headed outburst when they first objected to Keitaro living in the dormitory, shuddering at the memory. Kanako started to go back into the inn, before she remembered something. She turned back to the two young women.

"One more thing."

"_Hai_?"

"If you do hurt him... then I will give you a true lesson in pain; one neither of you will forget," she hissed, emphasising her point by shaking a fist at them both. "And you, Aoyama," she continued, noticing Motoko about to speak, "I don't care if you are the heir to the Shinmei School; come near me or him with that oversized bread knife, and I will snap it with my bare hands and ram it through both of your self-righteous heads. Just because my _oniichan_ is an enigma of sorts doesn't mean I will tolerate anyone hurting or treating him like dirt."

She then went down the steps leading back into the inn, leaving Naru and Motoko alone with their thoughts; the latter shuddering at the younger Urashima's threat.

"Well... that certainly was..." Naru started.

"...reassuring," Motoko finished.

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER EIGHT_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

I apologise if this chapter seems rushed, because I just **had** to write this before the plan went completely out of my head.  
  
And having eleven (thereabouts, anyway) more chapters in mind doesn't make it any easier...

I hope the messages I had Keitaro put underneath the sketches of Kitsune and Kanako were satisfactory enough. Truth be told, I'm just hopeless at doing that kind of thing. I considered doing them as a small piece of poetry, then I remembered poetry isn't exactly a forte of mine, and I would have messed it up big time had I even tried.

About Keitaro's talents... the gifts I stated in this chapter are actually fairly common amongst many savants; memorisation, mathematical calculation, musical and artistic ability being the most common. Other not-so-common gifts can include calendar calculations (the ability to identify the day of the week a certain date falls) and language abilities; there's one particularly well-documented case of an autistic savant who is able to read, write and translate 15 to 20 different languages, yet cannot communicate properly with other people.

Regarding delays in updates... I'm sorry that I couldn't update sooner. I had to take my brother to two separate psychiatric meetings, both of which lasted for a lot longer than I thought, and tomorrow I go and collect my GCSE results, followed by a THIRD meeting... what a week it's been so far. Anyway, for those of you who haven't read my profile, progress on this fanfic will be slowed down a lot from September 9th onwards, as I'm starting my A-Level studies in college and will have to concentrate more on those. I'm expecting to finish this in around late September or perhaps October; November the latest, though I doubt it'll take that long. Depends on what the workload is like, I suppose.

Well, as for next chapter, I will be giving Mutsumi a larger role than as of late... she's only had two minor roles so far.

And thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far... you know who you all are, so no need for any shout-outs.

_- GaC -_


	9. Mutsumi Moves In

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -___

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Nine_ :::** _Mutsumi Moves In

* * *

_

**[[Hinata Sou, First Floor Corridor - 8.13 am]]**

Kanako had just come down from the roof after her little 'pep talk' with Naru and Motoko. She stopped for a moment as she heard some heartful laughter coming from the _kanrinin_'s room.

_Hmm? Who's that in oniichan's room, and what's going on?_ she thought, her defensive instincts towards her brother raising once more.

As she drew nearer to the door, she noticed it was only Kitsune in the room, seemingly sharing a joke with Keitaro.

_Phew. It's only Kitsune-san,_ she thought again, with a faint smile of relief. She opened the door and walked in.

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 8.15 am]]**

Upon stepping in, she noticed Keitaro and Kitsune both sitting at the _kotatsu_ table, the latter with yet another look of disbelief on her face. The calculator she was holding in her hand dropped to the floor with a clatter. Kanako smirked mirthfully seeing her in this state. Kitsune shook her head vigourously to shake herself out of her disbelief, then looked at the younger Urashima with the same look of surprise that was etched on her face before. Kanako took a seat next to the fox-eyed woman, putting her hand on top of Keitaro's and smiling warmly.

"Kanako, you remember when you said that he's good at maths?" Kitsune asked, still in disbelief.

"_Hai_." Kanako replied.

"It seems you weren't wrong at all; he's a genius!"

Kanako's smirk widened.

"I told you so."

She turned to face Keitaro, rubbing his hand gently. She smiled kindly as she did so.

"Are you alright, _oniichan_?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to go out today?"

"Yeah."

She smiled, then turned to Kitsune.

"What about you, Kitsune-_san_? Would you like to come too?"

"Sure. I have nothing else to do. Plus, I like spending time with Keitaro."

"Then that's settled, then."

Kitsune smiled.

"What time are you thinking of leaving?"

"Around 10 am. We'll be back around 12.30 pm, as Keitaro's used to having lunch then."

"That's cool with me."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 12.31 pm]]**

For Naru, time had passed slower than a snail's pace, but for the rest of the tenants, lunchtime had arrived quicker than anything. Particularly in the cases of Kanako and Kitsune, who had both spent the majority of their time with Keitaro. Su arrived first, as was to be expected. Motoko arrived second, wearing her usual kendo garb. Kanako, Kitsune and Keitaro arrived fourth; the former two exchanging light chatter, holding Keitaro's hands. The kendo girl was about to say something about the sight before her, when an blood-curdling glare from Kanako made her think twice about whatever she was about to say. Naru arrived last, wobbling slightly from being sat down for a long period of time. With that, everyone commenced lunch. The meal passed with hardly any incidents, but that was only until Keitaro got up and started to collect the plates and cups to wash them. Motoko stood up and walked towards him.

"Ah, Urashima, let me help you with those," she offered, holding her hands out as if to ask him to hand her half of the load.

Keitaro offered no response.

"Urashima?"

"No, _arigato_," he replied.

"May I help you with the plates and cups?"

"I'm alright," he replied, having collected the last of the cups and dishes, proceeding into the kitchen.

"Motoko..." Kitsune said, trying to stop her - something which Motoko ignored.

"Look, Urashima," the kendo girl said in annoyance, grabbing him by the shoulders roughly and dragging him back, "I'm trying to be friendly he --"

Big mistake.

Dropping the plates and cups with a loud crash, Keitaro then dropped to the floor himself, holding his hands to his ears to block out any surrounding sounds, and started screaming loud enough for the whole of Hinata Sou - and everyone at the bottom of the large stone steps, most likely - to hear, the tears rolling down his cheeks. Motoko's expression turned to that of surprise and shock, stepping back from him. She tried to say something but the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Kanako and Kitsune both glared at her before turning back in an attempt to try and calm Keitaro down. However, this didn't work as well as they had hoped, because this wasn't one of his acts of frustration, where a soothing rub to the back would calm him down; whenever anyone would go to touch him, he would lash out in any way he could. By grabbing him under his arms so he couldn't lash out, Kitsune and Kanako thought they had calmed him down. This only made things worse, as Keitaro then started to try and bite himself on the arm out of frustration and anxiety.

"Kitsune-_san_," Kanako stated with obvious concern and worry, trying to prevent Keitaro from injuring himself further, "get Haruka-_obasan_ quickly; she knows how to deal with him when he's like this."

"_Hai_."

The fox-eyed woman quickly complied, and dashed out of the building to Haruka's café. In the meantime, Kanako held Keitaro in the same position as before, while at the same time trying to stop him from hurting himself even further. Motoko and Naru decided to try and help, but a glare from Kanako made them think otherwise. That, and having their faces on the receiving end of one of Keitaro's kicks when he lashed out.

**[A few minutes later...]**

_Ugh,_ Kanako thought, still holding Keitaro, _what is taking Kitsune-san and Haruka-obasan so long?_

As if right on cue, they both appeared in the kitchen. Haruka analysed the scene greeting her eyes, before deciding to do something about it. She walked up to Keitaro, and knelt down beside him. She motioned for Kanako and Kitsune to do the same; Kanako kneeling at his head and Kitsune kneeling at his other side. Keitaro by this point had stopped screaming and lashing out, but looked - by all means - prepared, to start again. Haruka then took one of his hands in hers and gently started to stroke it.

"Keitaro..." she spoke in a soft whisper, "...tell me, what happened?"

"M-M-Motoko..." he stammered in choked cries, "...Motoko grabbed me..."

The older Urashima took a glance at Motoko, who immediately averted her gaze elsewhere, then looked back at Keitaro.

"I see."

She then looked at Kitsune and Kanako.

"Do you know why she touched him?"

"He was getting ready to go into the kitchen to wash the plates and cups," Kitsune started, "so Motoko offered to help him. He refused as I don't think he still quite trusted her, so she grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him back. She got ready to take them when he dropped them and started to have this freak out."

"Ahh... I see now."

Kitsune looked at her with a curious look.

"What is it, Haruka-_san_?"

Haruka looked up at Kitsune and Kanako.

"The reason why he had this... tantrum, so to speak... is because he can be hypersensitive to another person's touch," she replied, "especially to that of a person he is quite wary of."

"So, in this case, it's Motoko he's wary of?"

"_Hai_," Kanako said, turning to glare at Motoko once more, "and I don't blame him either..."

Haruka turned back to Keitaro, who was still ready to lash out at any time. She continued to rub his hand gently, while Kanako did the same with his other hand. Kitsune started to stroke the top of his head with the tips of her fingers.

"Keitaro..." Kitsune began, leaning in towards his ear to whisper, "(it's alright. Nobody wants to hurt you.)"

"She's right, _oniichan_," Kanako continued, "calm down, and stand up. Please?"

As if once wasn't enough, Motoko went over and decided to help; yet again, another kick in the face made her reconsider.

_This is gonna be a lot harder than we thought..._ Kitsune thought.

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Front - 12.43 pm]]**

A young woman of frail build, with hip-length plaited brown hair, carrying a bag full of watermelons was standing in front of the old inn, staring at it in awe. She was wearing a short-sleeved, lime-green dress, with a hat of matching colours, and a pair of sandals.

"Ara..." she said to her companion, which happened to be a turtle that was comfortably perched on top of her head, "I never thought this building was so big. Did you?"

"Myuh."

"Shall we go in, Tama-_chan_?"

"Myu myuh!"

With that, she stepped inside.

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Kitchen - 12.45 pm]]**

Haruka, Kanako and Kitsune are still trying to persuade Keitaro to calm down, but to no avail as he keeps lashing out whenever they try to move him. At this point, Mutsumi walks into the kitchen, with her companion still on her head. Everyone pauses to look at her.

"Oh me, oh my..." she says, putting her hand to her head and closing her eyes, "...did I interrupt something?"

Kitsune and Kanako stared at her, bewildered. Everyone except for Haruka and Keitaro sweatdrops.

"M-Mutsumi-_san_?" Kitsune said.

"Who's she?" Kanako asked.

"One of the workers at my café," Haruka explained, "I'll explain later."

Mutsumi looked down at Keitaro. She clapped her hands together and smiled, closing her eyes.

"Such a darling face!" she said gleefully, kneeling down next to him.

What she did next was unexpected to everyone, and took them aback completely. She held his face in both of her hands, and planted her lips on his. While everyone had expected him to lash out at her, it actually did the complete opposite. He had calmed down considerably after her kiss, much to the disbelief of the other tenants; Haruka included, but Kitsune and Kanako in particular, both of whom looked slightly jealous. Mutsumi stood back up clasping her hands together, finding everyone staring at her with their mouths agape and eyes widened. Well, all except Su, that is; she just had a big grin plastered on her face.

"Ooooh..." Su exclaimed, "kissy-kissy!"

"Ara..." Mutsumi said, "there I go again with my bad habit..."

Keitaro released his arms and let them drop to his side. He let his legs drop down too. Kitsune, Haruka and Kanako looked on.

"Well, at least she's calmed him down..." Kitsune said sheepishly.

"_Hai_. It would seem so," Kanako said. She kept a cool composure, marred slightly by a slight blush and the occasional twitching of her eyebrows, although her thoughts suggested something of a completely different context.

_Grrr..._ she thought, _she kissed my oniichan!_

"Haruka-_san_," Naru asked, "you said you'd explain why Mutsumi-_san_ is here?"

"Oh, _hai_..." Haruka replied, "everyone, house meeting; into the living room."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Living Room - 1.10 pm]]**

Everyone was sitting down, with the exception of Mutsumi and Haruka; the former being the subject of the house meeting. Naru sat with her arms folded, Motoko sat completely stiill with her katana resting on her lap, her attention focused on the turtle, Shinobu with her hands clasped in her lap, Keitaro rocking back and forth fidgeting with his fingers, Kitsune and Kanako on either side; the younger Urashima with her arm linked with her brother's and Kitsune with a hand on his shoulder, Su... well, when does she ever sit still? Mutsumi was standing beside Haruka, her hands clasped and fingers intertwined, down by her navel. Tama-chan stayed perched comfortably on top of her head.

"I was planning on calling this house meeting this morning," Haruka started, "but things down at the café were busier than I had expected, so I had to stay behind and postpone it. Anyway, you're all wondering why Mutsumi-_san_ is up here with her belongings?"

They all nod in response.

"Well, in the early hours of this morning, the place that she was renting caught fire. She was lucky enough to get her belongings out in time before the place burnt to the ground. All that's left of it are the charred foundations. So, she needs a place to stay."

Motoko caught on.

"And you want her to stay here, Haruka-_sempai_?"

"Correct."

She looked at Keitaro, and smiled.

"So, _kanrinin_-_san_," she said, "does she have your approval?"

"Yeah."

The smile that spread across Mutsumi's face could have lit up even the darkest nights.

"Ara... thank you, _kanrinin_-_san_!" she exclaimed. Dropping her bag of watermelons, she ran over to him and took his face in both of her hands again, giving him another kiss on the lips. Everyone stared on in disbelief once again.

"Mutsumi-_san_!" they all exclaimed.

"Ara... did I do it again?"

Tama-_chan_ floated off the top of her head, to the bewilderment of the others, and flew towards Motoko, raising a flipper as if to greet her.

"Myuh...!"

"...K-K-K-K-_KAME_!!!" Motoko stuttered in fright. She grabbed her katana and bolted out of the room, leaving everyone with confused looks on their faces.

"Uhh..." Kitsune started, scratching the back of her head, "...can someone please tell me what happened here?"

"I have no idea..." Kanako replied, just as confused as her fox-eyed friend.

**

* * *

::: _END CHAPTER NINE_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Another chapter done; ten more to go. Sorry about the shortness of this chapter - I couldn't think of any other ways to lengthen it...

Anyway, the part where Keitaro got worked up after Motoko grabbed him as he was taking out the plates and cups after lunch was actually based on something I saw while waiting for my brother's psychiatric meeting on Wednesday. A autistic woman was asleep on a couch, and when they tried to move her to get her to stand up to get ready to leave, she completely freaked out and dropped to the floor, screaming things like "go away" and "leave me alone" at the top of her voice. Every time someone went to touch her, she would lash out, and when that failed, she would try to hurt herself. It took 20 minutes for four of the psychiatrists to calm her down. Scary...

I got my GCSE results yesterday, too. Exceeded my own expectations, methinks... 7 C's, 2 E's and a D. Not that good I know but it's enough to warrant a good overall passing grade.

Now, for a quick question... is there anyone who'd be interested in being a beta reader? I asked one of my friends if she'd like to be one, but she didn't understand the whole plot of Love Hina. If so, just drop me an email at one of the three addresses that can be found at the bottom of my profile. Or just add me... whichever way you prefer; doesn't really matter to me.

Whitefish: To answer your question... well, without meaning to sound offensive towards him, I doubt he'd understand it anyway. He's never really been interested in stories.

Oh, I almost forgot; for DarkHeart of Ice... the translations for the messages on Keitaro's belongings;

**_Ureshii tanjoubi, Keitaro -- okaasan_ ::: **_Happy Birthday, Keitaro -- dad_

**_Dzuki oniichan, ore furoirain otaku. Motte issai mai aijou -- Kanako_ ::: **_Dear big brother, I missed you. With all my love -- Kanako_


	10. A Trip To The Beach

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -

* * *

_**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Yep, you guessed it. I'm including another song, and no I don't own it. Feel free to flame till your heart's content. Anyway, the song is 'I'll Be Over You' by Toto. I know what you're thinking: 'no more songs, please'. Well, I'm afraid I cannot guarantee that... so, nya! :P

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Ten_ :::** _A Trip To The Beach

* * *

_

**[[Hinata Sou, Kanrinin's Room - 11.57 am]]**

Tick. Tock. Scribble. Tick. Tock. Scribble.

The light monotonous sounds of the clock and Keitaro's pencil running along the paper as he indulges in his hobby of sketching are the only ones permeating the eerie silence of the _kanrinin_'s room that has spread around Hinata Sou once again. Summer had come along quicker than anyone expected - or, in Motoko's case, wanted. The sunlight was peering in through the blinds, offering small traces of light to the slightly darkened room. Keitaro had finished one sketch, and was almost finished with his second one. Kitsune was sat beside him, with Kanako on the other side; the former watching with a wistful eye as he drew.

_He really would be the perfect partner,_ Kitsune thought, still staring wistfully at her companion, _he's honest, talented... and lovable_, she added with a blush. _Normally, I'd be thinking of the money I could extort... but now, he's the only guy I've ever had genuine feelings for. I just can't get him out of my head..._

Unfortunately for her, Kanako noticed her blushing.

"Er, Kitsune-_san_," she said, putting a hand on her forehead, "are you alright? You look pretty red."

Kitsune snapped out of her thoughts, blushing more than ever.

"Uh... n-no, I'm... f-fine!" she stammered, holding her hands up in defence.

"If you say so..." she replied, unassured, while turning back to Keitaro, who had finished his sketch. He picked up his pen and started to write on both pieces of paper. Kitsune and Kanako both leaned over to see, but his arm prevented them from doing so. When he had finished writing, he gave the first picture to Kanako. It was a picture of the view from the window of the _kanrinin_'s room at night with the full moon and stars in the sky, overlooking the town. He had captured the detail of everything fully; from the tranquil indigo hue of the sky and sea in the moonlight to the stars in the sky, and the seemingly ever-falling _sakura_ petals to the twinkling lights emanated from the buildings and neon signs below. She then saw what he had written on it;

**For Kanako.**

**I will always love you,**

_**Niisan**_

**x**

To her pleasant surprise, he leaned over slightly, ruffled her hair and gave her a kiss on the cheek. If Kanako wasn't blushing from what he had written, the sign of affection for her that Keitaro had shown as if to back up that message definitely wouldn't have failed in doing so. That, and the fact that she was being teased by her fox-eyed counterpart. At that point, Keitaro decided to give the second one to Kitsune. This one took her aback slightly. It was a picture of the front of Hinata Sou, facing to the left of the steps. This too was done in fully-captured detail. The sun was done in all it's springtime glory, and the detail applied to the falling _sakura_ petals fluttering in the breeze. If the sketch didn't take her aback, then the message below did;

**For Kitsune-_san_.**

**The scenery is beautiful, but you are  
****more so.**

**Keitaro**

**x**

It was now Kitsune's turn to blush and be teased by Kanako. When the teasing had stopped and the blushing faded to nothing but a faint scarlet hue.

"Aww, sweetie; thank you!"

She leaned over and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. To Kanako's slight chagrin and jealousy, she let her lips dawdle for a few seconds before deciding to break off. She gave Kanako a teasing wink, making the younger Urashima blush. The three turned to the door as they heard it slide open, revealing Haruka with the omni-cheerful Mutsumi, who waved at the three and blew a kiss at Keitaro, standing next to her. They were both carrying suitcases.

"Hey Haruka," Kitsune said with a hint of confusion, "what's with the suitcases?"

"That's what I came here to tell you about," Haruka said, smiling at Keitaro. "Sorry for telling you on such short notice, but we'll be leaving for our annual beach trip to the Hinata teahouse down there tomorrow. We decided to pack now to save doing it at the last minute."

"I see," Kanako said.

Haruka and Mutsumi both turned to face Keitaro.

"Hello, Keitaro," Haruka said.

"_Konnichiwa_, Urashima-_kun_," Mutsumi said with her ever-present smile, clapping her hands together in front of her face.

"Hello," he replied to both of them.

They both left, leaving the three to pack. Kitsune helped Kanako with Keitaro packing his belongings before going to her room to pack her own stuff. Kanako sat next to Keitaro on his futon.

"So are you looking forward to going to the beach, _oniichan_?"

"Yeah. Will the beach be sandy and water sparkly?"

"Hai; they will be."

Keitaro, obviously in glee, rocked back and forth and clapped his hands together before settling back down; a display Kanako often found herself smiling at in the past when they were children, still living together, before they were parted and not to see each other again for several years without saying a proper goodbye to each other; a memory that Kanako wasn't particularly fond of to say the least. At this point, bitter and unwanted memories of that day flooded back to her as a torrent, as she started to cry, her shoulders heaving slightly. The words exchanged between them rang echoed through her head like a scream in a cave.

_**"...Bye-bye, Ka-chan..."**_

_**"...Kei-kun! Don't leave me!..."**_

Keitaro noticed this despite her best efforts to remain silent, so as not to worry him.

"Ka-chan? Are you okay?"

She managed to force a smile, wiping the tears that were falling from her eyes.

"I'm okay, _oniichan_," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "don't worry."

"Yeah."

After a few moments, Kanako had managed to stem the tears and stop crying, although her eyes were still red and puffy.

"Come on, _oniichan_," she said, holding out her hand to him, "let's go downstairs. It's nearly lunchtime."

* * *

**[[Hinata Sou, Outside - the next morning...]]**

All of the tenants had gathered outside and were placing all their cases into the back of Haruka's van. Kitsune is wearing a somewhat revealing purple tanktop, light blue denim shorts and sandals. Kanako is wearing a white sleeveless button-up shirt, black skirt, tights and shoes. Keitaro is wearing a plain white t-shirt with "_Forza Milano!_" written on the front in red and black lettering, black shorts and trainers. Mutsumi was wearing a light green sundress with spaghetti straps and a sun hat to match.

"Alright, everyone," Haruka said in an almost commanding tone, "get in. We're off!"

Everyone took their seats in the camper van. Haruka was in the driver's seat with Naru in the passengers' seat; Su, Shinobu and Motoko in the middle row of seats, and Kitsune, Keitaro and Kanako in the last row. Keitaro looked curiously around for anything in the van that was deemed 'unusual' in his eyes. His curiosity was eventually focused in the form of Motoko's ebony hair, which was flowing down the back of the seat. He held it in his left hand and started to stroke it with his right. He then got a little 'braver' - in Naru's eyes, anyway - and started to move his hand up to her head, stroking her hair some more. The said girl tensed up upon feeling her hair being stroked, but when she noticed that it was Keitaro doing the stroking, she calmed down. Much to Kitsune's and Kanako's surprise, she actually seemed as if she was enjoying it.

_I never thought I'd be admitting this,_ Motoko thought, inwardly smiling with pleasure, _but I enjoy this feeling. It feels nice, even it it is the first time I've had it done to me, and if it is to sate one's curiosity._

Haruka watched this through the rear-view mirror with amusement, a small smirk forming on her face. She then started the van and began to drive off. Keitaro's fixation to Motoko's hair lasted nearly half-way through the journey, until it was directed towards Kitsune's instead, then Kanako's - both of whom enjoyed the feeling of his touch on their heads. The van was packed with everyone's suitcases, and the roof of the van had the essentials, missiles, mecha-tamas and any other contraptions of mass destruction that Su had decided to bring along with her strapped down.

* * *

**[[Beach, Hinata Teahouse - 12.58 pm]]**

The van pulled up in a car park facing the beach, and everyone jumped out. They were staying at a hotel which was within walking distance of the teahouse. Everyone decided to stay behind and help Keitaro and Haruka with the cases, as they decided that the less time they spend helping take up the luggage, the sooner they could get down to doing the tanning, swimming and all the other fun they wanted. They finished bringing the luggage and other stuff up to the hall they were shown to, with Haruka taking this time to decide who were going in what rooms.

"Alright everyone, gather 'round," she said, a cigarette hanging from one side of her mouth, "I'm gonna tell you which rooms you'll all be in. Now, as there's a lack of rooms available, three of you will have to stay in the same room as opposed to two per room, so listen up. Su, Shinobu; you'll be in Room 203."

She handed Shinobu and Su two pairs of keys to the said room.

"Naru, Motoko; Room 204. Me and Kanako will be in Room 206."

She turned to the remaining three; Kitsune, Mutsumi and Keitaro.

"Now, since I said there were a lack of rooms, you three will be staying in the same room."

She handed Kitsune the keys to the room. Naru and Motoko watched on with a pang of anger and protectiveness towards Kitsune and their newfound friend, while Mutsumi clapped her hands together; her highly-infectious smile still present.

"Ara... I get to stay with Urashima-_kun_!" Mutsumi said mirthfully.

"Are you sure that is wise, Haruka-_sempai_?" Motoko said, grabbing the hilt of her _katana_ suggestively.

"She's right," Naru concurred, "he may do something perverted --"

Haruka cleared her throat and glared at them; her eyes burning with ferocity that would have made the pit of Hades itself look like barely even an ember. She them took them both aside.

"(Now, didn't I warn you both about what I'd do if I heard you talking shit about Keitaro?)" she whispered with restrained anger, "(Remember, just because we're not at Hinata Sou doesn't mean I can't terminate your living agreements here and now. If I hear you both talking like that about him once more, you'll both be out of Hinata Sou on your arses quicker than you can say '_gomen nasai_'.)"

Naru and Motoko shuddered, to which Haruka smirked inwardly.

"(Is that understood?)"

"(H-_Hai_,)" Motoko nodded.

Haruka turned her gaze to Naru.

"(And you?)"

"(..._Hai_.)"

"(Good.)"

She then turned and walked back to her's and Mutsumi's room to get changed for the beach, leaving Naru and Motoko on their own.

"Well, that could've gone better." Naru said, not looking at her friend.

"Agreed." Motoko replied.

* * *

**[[Beach - 1.12 pm]]**

Once everyone had sorted their luggage out, they got ready for the beach. Su, Shinobu and Naru ran onto the beach almost immediately to engage in fun and games. Motoko, not seeing what all the excitement was about, walked calmly. Kitsune and Kanako walked with their arms linked with Keitaro's, while Mutsumi and Haruka were not far behind. Upon reaching their desired spot, they placed a towel down alongside each other and sat down on them. Mutsumi, holding some suntan lotion, called Keitaro over to her.

"Urashima-_kun_, would you mind rubbing some suntan lotion on my back?" she asked with an endearing smile, undoing the clasps of her bikini top.

Squirting what she could of it on her back, neck and shoulders, Keitaro then started to rub it in. Closing her eyes in relaxation, another smile formed on her face.

"Ahhh... you're pretty good at this, Urashima-_kun_," she sighed.

"Yeah."

Kitsune watched as he rubbed the suncream into Mutsumi's back, neck and shoulders. Once Keitaro had done, she squirted what she could on her back, neck and shoulders, then called him over too.

"Could you rub some on my back too please, Keitaro?" she asked, covering her naked breasts with her arms.

He did the same with her, causing her the same amount of relaxation as he did with Mutsumi as she laid down on her stomach.

"Thank you, Keitaro!" she said as he finished.

Keitaro then walked over to an empty area of the beach, within sight of Kitsune, Mutsumi, Kanako and Haruka - who were both taking a paddle in the water with each other - and sat down. He then started to make a sandcastle, something he hadn't done since his childhood days with Kanako. In the opposite direction were a young couple; the male partner making a sandcastle too. Needless to say, he attracted the attention of the woman, who was in awe at Keitaro's progress.

"Hey," she said to her partner, "look at that sandcastle over there!"

The man looked over, his expression turning somewhat envious.

"Pffft, who cares?" he retorted, arrogantly. His partner didn't reply, as she was still staring in awe at Keitaro's work. This made the man enraged as his girlfriend's attention was being diverted towards another man, so he stood up and walked over to Keitaro.

"Hey you," he said. Keitaro didn't reply, enraging him even further. "Hey, dipshit," he said again, slapping the back of Keitaro's head, "listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

Yet again, no response, as Keitaro continued with his sandcastle. The man, with a pang of jealousy, kicked sand over Keitaro then picked up some pebbles and threw them into the sandcastle, destroying it in the process. Keitaro stood up, only for the man to start shoving him as if to pick a fight with him.

"You're gonna get hurt for stealing my girl's attention, dipshit!" he said while he started to shove harder.

This incident didn't go unnoticed, as Kitsune had heard the commotion. She looked up and saw two men, one shoving the other. Upon lowering her shades, she noticed that the one being shoved was Keitaro.

"Kitsune-san?" Haruka and Kanako asked, noticing Kitsune's expression. They followed her gaze, and saw the man still shoving Keitaro, who had now fallen onto the ground. The man started pushing his head into the sand. Kitsune jumped up, and the three ran over to the scene of the commotion.

"_Oniichan_!"

The man turned to see Haruka, Kitsune and Kanako running towards him; the latter approaching the fastest. He didn't get time to run away as Kanako had jumped into the air and beared down on him foot-first.

"...Urashima Falling Leaf Technique!" came her cry as she unleashed a barrage of rapid kicks on Keitaro's aggressor, sending him backwards towards Haruka, who had a paper fan at the ready. As soon as he turned around, she slapped him right across the face with it, sending him spiralling towards the ground. He went to sit up, only for Kanako to pin him down with her foot. Seizing the opportunity, Haruka grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head towards her, so their noses were nearly touching.

"Now..." she growled calmly, yet at the same time menacingly enough to make the young man quiver, "...why were you attacking my nephew?"

Silence.

"Well?"

"H-He was building a sandcastle that took m-my girl's attention away from me..."

Another deathly silence loomed over the four.

"...That's it? That's why you attacked my _oniichan_?" Kanako hissed, suppressing her sudden urge to burst out laughing at the most stupid reason she had ever heard, her fists trembling and her foot pushing harder on the man's chest.

"Uh... yeah?"

She lifted her foot off his chest, then stood him up.

"W-What are you going to d --"

He didn't get a time to finish what he was saying as he was sent soaring into the afternoon sky, courtesy of a fierce combined uppercut from Haruka, Kitsune and Kanako. The three women's eyes followed his trail, looking with disgust. They then turned to help Keitaro up, who had curled into a ball out of fright once again. Kitsune and Kanako rubbed his back gently to calm him down, which had the desired effect almost immediately. The four then went back to where their towels were, and decided to go for a walk in the calm ocean water.

* * *

**[[Beachside Bar - 10.03 pm]]**

Everyone was sitting at a table amongst a large group of people, facing towards what appeared to be a karaoke stage. Kitsune and Haruka were both exchanging light chatter, Su and Shinobu were both talking with Motoko and Naru, while Mutsumi and Kanako were both sat playing a small game with Keitaro. Well, they were all doing anything to drown out the noise of the current karaoke 'singer', who's pathetic voice sounded more like the unbearable screaming of cats being neutered without an anaesthetic. As soon as the sorry excuse for a singer had finished, Kitsune noticed a man, presumably the bar owner, standing on the stage, asking for more volunteers to go up and sing a song for the karaoke session. Her mind flashed back to that time she asked Keitaro to sing 'The Fields Of Athenry' for Kanako, and an encouraging smile appeared on her face.

"Hey, Keitaro," she said, turning to face him, "why don't you go up there and sing?"

"Yeah, good idea!" Kanako agreed, "Come on, _oniichan_; you have a good voice!"

They both literally dragged Keitaro up to the stage, holding his hands as they went up. Keitaro looked around nervously for a moment before stating the name of the song he would sing. He then walked up to the microphone, and closed his eyes as he started to sing in tune with the slow, relaxing music that was beginning to play.

_Some people live their dreams  
__Some people close their eyes  
__Some people's destiny  
__Passes by_

_There are no guarantees  
__There are no alibis  
__That's how our love must be  
__Don't ask why_

Kitsune, Kanako and Haruka looked and listened on as he sang, with fond smiles on their faces. Naru, Motoko, Su and Shinobu listened in awe at his singing voice. Mutsumi just sat there, her hands clasped together.

_It takes some time  
__God knows how long  
__I know that I can forget you_

_As soon as my heart stops breaking  
__Anticipating  
__As soon as forever is through  
__I'll be over you_

_Remembering times gone by  
__Promises we both made  
__What are the reasons why  
__Nothing stays the same_

Unknowst to them all, they found themselves swaying in rhythm with the music, listening on.

_There were the nights holding you close  
__Someday I'll try to forget them_

_As soon as my heart stops breaking  
__Anticipating  
__As soon as forever is through  
__I'll be over you_

"(Now, we have our confirmation of his talent,)" Motoko whispered to Naru, who simply nodded in response.

"(Hai,)" she replied after a few seconds, "(and I thought that night he sang to Kanako in his room was a one-off.)"

Kitsune overheard them both, and leaned over to them.

"(I told you he was talented, didn't I?)" she said with her trademark foxy grin, but that turned to a suspicious frown as Naru's comment sunk in, "(...wait, you listened in that time?)"

_Uh oh..._ Naru and Motoko simultaneously thought.

"(And you heard Kanako-_san_ recalling Keitaro's past?)"

They nodded meekly in response.

"(_Yare yare_... Kanako-_san_'s gonna be pissed if she finds out... alright, let's keep this between us too,)" Kitsune sighed.

"Something wrong, Kitsune-_san_?" Kanako asked.

Ahh... crap.

"No; nothing's wrong."

"If you say so."

_As soon as my heart stops breaking  
__Anticipating  
__As soon as forever is through  
__I'll be over you_

_Someday, I'll be over you_

As soon as the music ended, Keitaro's eyes jolted open as he heard the applause and cheers from the audience. Kitsune and Kanako went back up to the stage and directed him back to their table, their smiles as wide as ever. Upon sitting back down at the table, everyone had more or less the same thoughts running through their heads. Haruka, Su, Shinobu, Motoko, Naru and Mutsumi applauded him politely, the former patting him on the back as he sat down.

**

* * *

::: _END CHAPTER TEN_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

This chapter took me longer than I thought... and no, it had nothing to do with the fact that I couldn't think of what to write for it, and I'll be the first to say that it's not the best of chapters. But my computer resetting itself nearly every twenty minutes once it overheated helped none...

So, to paraphrase Mutsumi... _sumimasen_.

Anyway, I hope everyone's been kept satiated... for a while longer, at least.

If anyone's wondering about Kanako's 'Urashima Falling Leaf Technique', read Volume 12 of the manga. She uses it to deflect some missiles that Su has fired at her and Naru when they're on a train bound for Hokkaido.

About the chapters. I'm planning on making this story twenty chapters long (well, nineteen actually - unless you count an interlude as a chapter), so I have nine more to go - lest I decide to shorten or lengthen it.

And now for the shout-outs...

Jerails: Thanks for pointing out the mistake I made in last chapter's translations... I wouldn't have noticed it myself if you didn't. I'll reload Chapter Nine with the mistake corrected.

DarkHeart of Ice: You're welcome. I'll translate future messages typed in Japanese at the end of the chapter they're shown in next time.

And I've finally chosen three beta readers; MinToshihiro, Sephiroth2021... and I don't know who the other one is - sorry, I only got an email from you the other day! Either way, much obliged. :)


	11. Taking A Morning Walk With Mutsumi

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -___

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Eleven_ :::** _A Morning Walk With Mutsumi... Dancing Lessons?

* * *

_

**[[Beach, Hinata Teahouse - 9.21 am]]**

Haruka was sitting at one of the tables in the teahouse. It was similar to the one back in Hinata, albeit slightly bigger and more modern-looking, with more facilities for both the staff and customers. Shinobu was in the kitchen helping with the breakfast and drinks, bringing them to the customes on trays. As she started to walk back to the kitchen to continue, she was stopped as Haruka placed a hand on her arm.

"Shinobu-_chan_," Haruka started with a small smile on her face, "we're here on holiday. There's no need for you to help with the cooking."

"But... Haruka-_sempai_," the violet-haired girl answered, "I just want to help."

Haruka's smile became more reassuring and friendly.

"Look, every day back at Hinata Sou, you cook. I know that you like it, and that you're only trying to help, but just take a break and have some fun with the others; this is a holiday, after all."

Shinobu's lips curled into a slight smile.

"_Hai_, Haruka-_sempai_!"

She went back into the kitchen to put the apron and tray back, then sat down next to Haruka. Naru came into the building, Su hanging off her back and all, with Kitsune and Keitaro coming in shortly afterwards. Motoko, surprisingly, came down later. She gave Keitaro a friendly smile, only to get no response.

_Hmm..._ Motoko mused as she sat down opposite Haruka, _...I get the feeling that he still does not quite trust me yet._

Last, but not least, came a very groggy and delirious Kanako, wobbling as she walked, holding her head with one hand and clutching her stomach with the other. Large sweatdrops formed on the back of everybody's heads as she sat down.

_Owwww... my head..._ she thought.

"_Kami_, you look like crap..." Naru said.

"Well, you're not exactly what people could call delectable yourself... skank..." Kanako retorted drowsily, clutching her head.

Haruka smirked as Naru's eyebrow twitched at her niece's comment. She leaned over the table.

"_Ohayo_, Kanako," she said, her smirk inwardly widening, "would you like some breakfast?"

Despite how delirious she felt, Kanako shot up from the table and bolted towards the nearest toilet, her hands over her mouth. The sounds of her giving her insides a good emptying could be heard by everyone, making Shinobu, the youngest of the harem, want to feel sick herself. A sweatdrop formed on the back of Haruka's head as she was the only one who noticed that she had ran into the men's toilet.

"I think Kanako-_san_ underestimated the strength of that saké I had her drink last night..." Kitsune chuckled heartily.

"Oh dear, it would seem so." said a voice from beside Kitsune. Everyone, including the normally cool and composed Haruka and stoic Motoko, jumped in fright, turning to find that Mutsumi was at the table.

"Mutsumi-_san_!?" Naru exclaimed.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Kitsune asked.

"Oh my... did I interrupt something?"

Mutsumi's comment prompted a collective face-fault from everyone - apart from Keitaro - which nearly made all the cups fall off their respective shelves. She just placed a hand on her cheek and closed her eyes, smiling open-mouthed.

"Ara ara..."

**[[Fifteen minutes later...]]**

Everyone had finished their breakfast and were getting ready to go back to the hotel to get changed for some swimming or paddling. Kanako, less groggy than earlier, came out, grimacing as the bright sunlight hit her face.

"Ahh, that was a nice breakfast..." Naru said.

Upon hearing the word 'breakfast', Kanako ran back to the toilet, ignoring the sign placed on the door, for another emptying. Kitsune noticed and doubled over in laughter.

"What?" Naru asked, confused, "What's so funny?"

Kitsune managed to hold her laughing off for a moment.

"It looks like Kanako-_san'_s gone back for Round Two..."

**

* * *

**

[[Beach, Front of teahouse - 9.37 am]]

Kitsune was chatting lightly with Kanako and Mutsumi. Keitaro was sat on the sand, transfixed on the small waves lapping against the shoreline. The morning sun reflected off the surface of the clear water, making it look more crystalline. The three walked up to him and sat beside him. Kanako leaned her head on his shoulder, as Kitsune turned to face him.

"Hey, Keitaro..." she started, "...I was just wondering. We both know each other well enough. if you'd like to go out with me tonight? You know, on a date?"

Kanako's eyes snapped wide open as a thousand unreadable feelings began to run through her. Jealousy? Maybe. Protectiveness? No; Kitsune could be trusted enough with Keitaro. Anger? No way; the fox had done nothing to get into Kanako's bad books, nor would she be stupid enough to do so, judging by what she nearly did to Naru on her first day at Hinata Sou.

"Yeah," Keitaro said, his eyes not leaving the shimmering water.

Kitsune's eyes widened partially in surprise. A warm smile spread across her face.

"Does 9 pm sound good to you?"

"Yeah."

Her smile widened.

_Wow... he said yes. I'll make this night unforgettable for him..._

Her thoughts halted when Mutsumi crawled in front of him.

"Urashima-_kun_," she said, looking at his face all the while, "would you like to go for a walk with me this morning?"

"Yeah."

She clapped her hands together in delight, then turned to face Kitsune and Kanako.

"Is that alright with you, Kitsune-_san_, Kanako-_san_?"

"Oh... _hai_."

"Sure."

Mutsumi's infectious smile remained on her face.

"I thought you two would want a break from helping to look after him. Besides, I wouldn't mind spending some time with him."

Kanako's demeanour softened somewhat.

"I have no problem with that," she replied.

She clapped her hands together again and smiled.

"Ara... well, shall we go, Urashima-_kun_?"

"Yeah."

Mutsumi took her shoes off so she was barefooted, wearing only her pale green sundress.

"Take your shoes off; we can walk in the water."

"Yeah."

He did as he was asked. Mutsumi noticed that he was still wearing his socks.

"Fu fu fu... silly," she giggled, "you're meant to take them off. Here, let me do it." She took his socks off for him and put them in his shoes. He got up and stood next to Mutsumi, who was ready to go.

"Where are you going, anyway?" Kitsune asked.

"The southern beaches. They're about twenty-five minutes away if you walk. We'll be back by around 3.00."

Kitsune and Kanako simply nodded in response as the two started to slowly walk off. To their jealousy and slight chagrin, Mutsumi took his hand in hers.

**

* * *

**

[[Beach, Southern Shores - 10.01 am]]

Mutsumi and Keitaro were taking a walk along the southern part of the beach, paddling in the waters. Compared to the one they were staying at, this one was almost deserted, give or take another couple of people. They had come equipped with suntan lotion, water and some snacks. Keitaro had brought his guitar with him, saying that he wanted to play some music along the way. Mutsumi pulled Keitaro to the middle of the beach and sat him down. She kneeled in front of him, squirting some sunscreen on her fingertips.

"Here," she said, smiling, "let's put this on you. We don't want you to burn, do we?"

She went to rub some on Keitaro's face, but she encountered some resistance as Keitaro kept moving his face whenever she went to touch it. He started to sigh in anxiety.

"Now, Urashima-_kun_," she said in a gentle - almost motherly - tone, "I don't want you to burn. Let me put this on you."

Keitaro held still for the time being, as Mutsumi gently rubbed some on his face as if to reassure him. He stiffened at the slightly older woman's touch, feeling the need to pull away again. She noticed this.

"Ara... it's alright, don't worry. Almost done."

She finished just as Keitaro began to pull away. She gave him an endearing smile, and took him by the hand and helped him up.

"Oh my, you look like a real darling!" she said, her smile widening.

"Yeah."

They continued their walk, with Mutsumi taking his hand in both of hers.

**

* * *

**

[[Beach, Promenade - 2.19 pm]]

Time flew by fast for the two young adults. They had chatted lightly, with Mutsumi doing most of the talking as Keitaro didn't understand how to interact socially, so he just answered any questions she asked him. They were now standing on the promenade, overlooking the sea. The afternoon sun was at it's zenith now. Mutsumi looked wistfully at Keitaro, though he didn't notice as he was fixated once again on the sea.

"Urashima-_kun_?" she asked, "Are you looking forward to your date with Kitsune-_san_?"

"Yeah."

She put her hand on top of his and stroked it lightly with her thumb.

"What are you going to do?"

"Dance. Want to dance with Kitsune."

"You want to dance?"

"Yeah."

Mutsumi's eyes lit up as she thought of something. And she would not have to worry about people staring as the promenade was deserted too.

"Come here," she cooed, pulling him to the centre, "stand there."

She took out something from the basket she had brought with her. It looked like a portable cassette radio. Pressing the play button and turning the volume up fully, she placed it on the floor near the railings and went back to the middle of the promenade where Keitaro was still standing. The music that played sounded like ballroom music. She started to move rhythmically, with Keitaro copying her.

"You hear the music?" she said.

"Yeah."

"Now, watch my feet."

Keitaro stared towards the sea again.

"Urashima-_kun_?"

"Yeah."

"Watch my feet."

He did as he was asked, still copying his companion's rhythmical movements.

"Okay, now do what I'm doing. You feel the rhythm of this music? Just moving our feet like this. You have to lead, as you're the man and I'm the woman. Let's pretend I'm Kitsune."

She raised her right hand.

"Put your left hand up like this."

Keitaro did so, but stopped moving.

"No, don't stop moving. Put your left hand up," she said softly, lifting his hand, "that's good. Keep moving."

She took his other hand and put it on her back.

"Then you put your hand on my back... like that."

Keitaro slowly removed his hand. Mutsumi giggled softly at his reluctance.

"Fu fu... Urashima-_kun_, you have to touch someone when you dance."

He still looked nervous. She gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Yeah."

She took his hand again and put it on her back.

"Put your hand there. Keep watching my feet."

"Yeah."

"The rhythm, remember. All right? Now, when you dance, you can't watch the other person's feet; you have to keep looking up at them. When I tell you to, just look up. Slowly. Ready?"

Keitaro nodded once in response.

"Okay. Start looking up."

Slowly, as she asked, Keitaro started to look upwards.

"Ara... that's good. You're dancing."

"Yeah."

Mutsumi started to slowly turn around, still holding Keitaro in the position she set him up in.

"Now, you turn me like that. Okay? Just turn."

Keitaro continued to turn.

"That's good, keep turning. This is dancing, Urashima-_kun_."

They both continued to dance, swerving and moving in rhythm with the music as the sun shined brightly on them both. Mutsumi could not have asked for a more picturesque venue; overlooking the sea on a beautiful day, with the sea breeze cooling them both down and making their hair flutter. Apart from the sound of the slow, relaxing music, the only other sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the waves against the wall. Mutsumi stared deeply into Keitaro's eyes, blushing healthily, although her companion did not return her gaze. They continued for a few minutes longer until the music slowly ended. Reluctantly, Mutsumi pulled away. She was obviously content and relaxed in Keitaro's arms. She started clapping lightly, smiling proudly.

"Oh my, Urashima-_kun_... you did it! That was beautiful. You are a good dancer," she exclaimed, happily, "can I give you a hug?"

"Yeah."

She moved in and wrapped her arms rather quickly around Keitaro. Unfortunately for her, this made his sensitivity to another person's touch kick into overdrive. Mutsumi pulled away immediately as he screamed loudly, covering his head with his arms. She was still holding her hands up, and slowly lowered them down to her sides as Keitaro began to calm down slightly. She had a rather dejected and upset look on her face.

"..._Sumimasen_, Urashima-_kun_," she said, her eyes slowly filling with tears, "I just wanted to give you a hug... just felt like giving you a hug..." she said the last part in a hushed whisper.

Keitaro looked in her direction and noticed that she was looking towards the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. He also noticed that a tear or two had fallen from her eyes to the ground. He walked over to her and tilted her chin up gently so he could face her. The tears were rolling down her cheeks. He wiped some of them away and ruffled her hair affectionately, obviously cheering up as she giggled at his touch. She slowly cupped his face with her hands and moved her face towards his. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, gently rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs. Keitaro showed no objection to this. She smiled at him.

"Come, Urashima-_kun_," she said softly, taking his hand in hers again, "let's get you back to Kitsune-_san_ and Kanako-_san_."

They began to walk back the way they came. Unknown to either of them, a pair of eyes were watching them from a small alleyway. The eyes belonged to Kanako, who had a fond smile on her face.

_I never knew oniichan was such a good dancer,_ she mused fondly. _But... did she HAVE to kiss him like that?_ she added as an afterthought, her cheeks flushing jealously.

* * *

**[[Hotel, Lobby - 8.56 pm]]**

Everyone was sitting patiently in the lobby, waiting for Kitsune to come down. Keitaro was sat with Haruka and Kanako on either side of him, with Mutsumi sitting beside Haruka. Motoko was leant against the wall, arms folded and eyes closed in thought, with her trusty _katana_ by her side. Naru was pacing up and down, continuously looking at her watch. Shinobu and Su were both standing too, the latter jumping up and down on the spot. Keitaro was dressed in a white polo shirt and a clean pair of shorts.

"So, you looking forward to this date with Kitsune, Keitaro?" Haruka asked with a teasing smile on her face; a rarity to see.

"Yeah."

"I hope you have a good time," Shinobu said meekly.

Keitaro ruffled her hair in return, making her blush. He picked up the guitar that was laying against his knees and started to play a small tune on it.

"I'm ready," called a voice from the stairs. It was Kitsune, dressed in a violet-button up shirt and black skirt, wearing matching tights and high heels. Keitaro couldn't help but stare at her with a blush. She noticed this, giggling at his shyness.

"You like it?" she said in a throaty, seductive tone which made the hairs on the back of everyone's necks stand up, her trademark fox-like expression appearing on her face.

"Yeah."

She blushed and walked over to him, offering him her hand. He put his hand in hers, but, to Kitsune's mirth, he shook her hand, not understanding that she offered it to help stand him up. She chuckled heartily at this, while everyone else managed to stifle a giggle.

"Heh... you're silly, Keitaro," she giggled.

Keitaro stood up and put his guitar in it's leather case, with Kanako helping him put it on his shoulder. Kitsune offered him her arm, which he accepted.

"Well, shall we go?"

"Yeah."

"What time will you two be back?" Haruka asked.

"Probably around 11.30, thereabouts."

"As long as it's no longer than 12.00, I'm alright with it."

Kitsune smiled.

"Don't worry; we'll be back by then."

They walked towards the front doors.

"See you guys later!" Kitsune shouted over her shoulder as she walked out, arm-in-arm with Keitaro.

"Have a good time!" everyone else shouted. Kanako turned to Mutsumi and tapped her on the shoulder. When she had her attention, she leaned in towards her ear.

"(May I have a word, Mutsumi-_san_?)" she whispered quietly.

"(Of course, Kanako-_san_. What is it?)" Mutsumi replied.

"(I'd rather do it in private, if you do not mind?)"

"(Okay.)"

**

* * *

**

[[Hotel, Side Hall - 9.02 pm]]

Kanako and Mutsumi were both stood in one of the halls leading to the hotel rooms, away from everyone else. Once satisfied that nobody was listening in, and that they were the only ones present, Kanako closed the door.

"What is it, Kanako-_san_?" Mutsumi asked.

Kanako managed a kind smile.

"I liked the way you and _oniichan_ both danced on the promenade today. It was really beautiful."

Mutsumi placed a hand over her mouth as what Kanako said sunk in.

"Oh my... you were watching us?"

"_Hai_. Forgive me for intruding on your privacy. I apologise for it, as it's been a habit for as long as I can remember when I know that _oniichan_ is with someone he's not known for that long."

Mutsumi nodded her head slowly.

"I understand, Kanako-_san_. I would be the same if he were my brother."

Kanako's expression became awkward. She placed a hand on the back of her head.

"Um... Mutsumi-_san_, I don't know how to say this. But..."

"_Hai_?"

"Do you... like _oniichan_?"

Mutsumi clapped her hands together in front of her face, closing her eyes and smiling open-mouthed again.

"Ara... of course. I think he is a very wonderful person. He was ever so kind on our walk, even though I had a small problem putting sunscreen on his face."

Kanako giggled at this.

"He's pretty sensitive around there, so he doesn't like anyone touching him there suddenly."

"Sensitive?"

"_Hai_. He's sensitive to the touch of a person who he doesn't know well, and if they get too close to him for his liking, he gets anxious."

"Oh my... I see."

Kanako smiled once again.

"Well, why don't we go for a walk of our own on the beach? It's a nice night out."

"I don't see why not."

They both walked down the hall and back into the lobby. Kanako went up to Haruka and told her that they were both going out before going back to Mutsumi, who was waiting at the front door. Engaging in light chatter, they both left the hotel for the beach.

**

* * *

::: _END CHAPTER ELEVEN_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Opinion time!

I know it's a way ahead, but I'm thinking about doing two alternate endings; angsty (if you could call it that) and happy. E-mail me with your opinions or tell me via review. I may even throw in an epilogue... nah, that's just pushing it. :P

...And I apologise if this chapter seems fairly short.

Just to let you all know, the part where Mutsumi taught Keitaro how to dance was an actual scene in Rain Man which I felt a strong urge to include in this fic. If you've not seen the film, then the scene in question is when Charlie (Tom Cruise) and Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) are staying in a Las Vegas hotel, and Raymond thinks that he has a date with a woman he talked with at the casino bar. He insists that he has to dance on the date after seeing a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers film on his portable TV, so Charlie teaches him how to dance. A touching scene in my opinion.

Once again, thanks to my three beta readers - MinToshihiro, Sephiroth2021 and Arkalen. :)

_- GaC -_


	12. Keitaro's First Date

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
"[[...]]" - denotes settings  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Twelve_ :::** _Keitaro's First Date: Tripudio Inferus Est Astrum  
_

* * *

**[[Beach, Northern Shores - 9.03 pm]]**

Kitsune and Keitaro were both walking slowly down the beach towards their intended destination, the fox with her arm still looped around Keitaro's. Although summer was slowly coming to an end, the night was still warm with a light, refreshing breeze. There was another full moon up in the sky, but this one looked larger and brighter than usual, brightening up the beach considerably. The water looked like a sea of crystals underneath the moonlight. The stars were also out, without a single cloud in the sky. Kitsune looked up at the moon with her almost-eternally closed eyes opened fully, the reflection of the moon visible in her eyes.

"Look," she said, pointing up to the moon and stars, "isn't it beautiful?"

Keitaro followed her gaze to the moon.

"Yeah," he said in the same monotone voice that Kitsune and the others had become used to, "moon and stars pretty. Pretty... pretty light."

He then looked at the side of her face, as she was still looking up at the moon.

"Moonlight makes your face look prettier," he added, "pretty Kitsune."

Kitsune's face took a flattered expression at that comment. Her cheeks started to turn red as she returned his gaze. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you, sweetie," she said, her blush deepening. She hooked her arm around his once more, and they continued walking. Kitsune took a few looks at him, a smitten expression on her face, whenever the opportunity arose. Occasionally, she intertwined her fingers with his out of affection.

* * *

**[[Beach, Promenade - 9.29 pm]]**

They both reached the promenade overlooking the sea. Instead of being almost deserted like it was earlier in the day, when Keitaro was taught how to dance by Mutsumi, it was almost bustling with other young couples; a fact that Kitsune blushed profusely at, while Keitaro took no notice. The promenade was now lit up.

They arrived at a quaint, if not slightly secluded, little restaurant with a coffee shop inside at the quayside that Keitaro and Mutsumi stopped off in on their trip. Kitsune looked around and felt a smile forming on her face, as it looked better on the inside than it did from the outside. The place had various pictures of all the different coastal areas of Japan, ranging from the southern tropical island of Okinawa to the northern island of Hokkaido, and there were random songs being played. The first floor, where Keitaro had taken her up to, had a more romantic feel to it. It was dimly lit, with soft music being played in contrast to the music from the jukebox on the ground floor.

"Hmm... very nice, Keitaro. I didn't think you were into these places," she said, smiling.

"Yeah."

Keitaro took her by the hand and took her to exactly the same table he and Mutsumi were seated at earlier that day. Kitsune was awed at the view. They were sat beside a giant window which allowed the moon and starlit sky to be seen by all on the first floor. It overlooked the sea, stretching into the horizon. To add to the beauty of the view, they could also see the lights of the small coastal town not so far to the north and west of them twinkling. Once Kitsune had managed to stop her jaw from dropping at the view, she turned back to Keitaro.

"This view is just beautiful!" she exclaimed, "And I thought it was good enough on the beach."

"Yeah. Chose table for you."

"You chose the table for me?"

"Yeah."

They both pick up their menus and start to look for what they would like to eat. Kitsune's eyes settle on the main courses, which came with side dishes of the customer's choice.

"These look delicious, don't they?"

"Yeah."

After a waiter came to collect their orders, they both chatted lightly with each other. Keitaro's level of comfort rose along with Kitsune's level of affection; the fox-eyed woman becoming more and more fond of her companion. Their meals came and they continued to chat as they ate. A separate menu showing all the available drinks

"Okay, sweetie," she said, leaning over to show him the different hot drinks they have, "there's tea, coffee, cappucino, espresso and cocoa. Which do you want?"

"Coffee," he replied.

"Of course."

"Milk and sugar have to be on the table before the coffee arrives." he said, starting to rock back and forth. It was at that point that Kitsune noticed two containers; one of sugar, one of coffee. She put both her hands on both the handles quietly so as not to attract his attention.

"Keitaro?" she asked, turning to face him again.

"Yeah."

"Ta-da!" She pulled the containers out from behind the menus, revealing them to Keitaro, who had started to laugh slightly. Kitsune grinned at this display of amusement.

"Kitsune made a joke," he said.

"Yeah, I made a joke!" she replied, starting to laugh herself.

"Yeah."

The waiter brought their coffees to them, and Kitsune helped put the milk and sugar in Keitaro's coffee. While they were both drinking their coffee, Kitsune's eyes opened slightly as she looked at him with the same smitten expression as before. Shyly, she slipped one of her high heels off and started to rub her foot up and down his leg, a blush on her face. Keitaro stiffened slightly, but showed no objection to her actions and allowed her to continue, beginning to blush as well.

Once they had finished their coffee, Kitsune paid the bill and they both left the restaurant holding hands. Walking further down the promenade, Kitsune spotted a print club booth. A smile formed on her face as she thought of an idea.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, pointing to the booth, "why don't we get a photo taken as a souvenir of tonight?"

"Yeah. Photo with Kitsune."

She smiled sweetly at him as she took him inside, pulling the curtain behind her. Putting a few coins in to pay, Kitsune and Keitaro got ready for the photo to be taken. With a beaming smile on her face, she placed one hand on his shoulder and held her other hand up in a peace sign just as the photo was taken. Keitaro had a smile on his face as he held his hand up as if to wave. The machine clicked and whirred as the photos came out of the photo dispenser on the side of the booth. Kitsune took the photo from it and looked at it wistfully.

_I've enjoyed tonight so far,_ she thought, _but where to go next?_

They both walked aimlessly for about ten minutes, basically just enjoying each other's company. Kitsune noticed that they had ended up in a large park that wasn't very far away.

* * *

**[[Beach, Eastern Shores - 9.54 pm]]**

Meanwhile, Kanako and Mutsumi were both still on their walk. The moon was still bright as ever, with the stars still in the sky.

"Ara... I wonder if Urashima-_kun_ is dancing with Kitsune-_san_ now?" Mutsumi pondered out loud.

Kanako smiled at the thought.

"I wonder, indeed," she replied, "Kitsune-_san_ will love that dance."

Mutsumi's expression turned slightly saddened. Kanako noticed this and decided to ask.

"What's wrong, Mutsumi-san?"

"I just remembered when Urashima-kun reacted the way he did when I went to give him a hug. Does he not like me?"

Kanako placed a comforting hand on Mutsumi's shoulder.

"He likes you, Mutsumi-san," she said in a reassuring tone, "it's just that he doesn't know you very well. I should have explained this before you both went for you walk. When you hugged him, you got too close to him - closer than he would have liked you to have done. He became anxious because he's sensitive. Remember when you first came to Hinata Sou?"

"Oh my... I do. He was on the floor, screaming and lashing out."

"Hai. Well, if you had been a stranger when you hugged him, he would have reacted that way."

Mutsumi frowned again.

"Look, Mutsumi-_san_. It's nothing personal, ne? It's not that he doesn't like you; he does, and from the way he acted around you he wants to get to know you. Maybe then he'll let you hug him some more."

Her face brightened up.

"You're right, Kanako-_san_."

Kanako smiled at her once again.

"Do you want to carry on with this walk? We've still got time to kill."

"_Hai_."

* * *

**[[Park, Duck Pond - 10.01 pm]]**

Kitsune and Keitaro are both sitting on a bench overlooking a duck pond in the centre of the park. The area was literally empty; almost as if it were the perfect setting for a date. The moon was glimmering off the water of the pond, adding to the mystique of the atmosphere. Keitaro was transfixed on the movement of the ducks in the moonlit water. Kitsune, on the other hand, kept looking at him with an admirable smile on her face.

_I've really enjoyed tonight,_ she mused, still looking at him, _I'd love to go on another date with him, simply to just enjoy his company. Being with him makes me feel so warm inside. He's got a very innocent child-like quality to him; that's what makes him so adorable. He's honest, talented. I just can't stop thinking about him..._

A sudden thought struck her.

_Wait... this feeling... I feel secure, happy and calm with him... could it be... love?_

She blushed heavily as she considered that.

_Come to think of it, he IS the first guy I've had genuine feelings for in a long time... he's a lot better than the others, anyway. It hurt to know that they were only interested in me for my body. Plus my reputation in high school for being supposedly 'forward' didn't help either. But Keitaro's different from them. Yes, he is mentally disabled, but he really seems fond of me because of who I am._

Her smile widened.

_Heh... yeah. He would make a good boyfriend, I must admit..._

She leaned back and placed her hand on his, lazily drawing circles on it with her finger. Keitaro looked down and blushed at the contact, then turned back to the pond.

**[[One hour later...]]**

Kitsune and Keitaro both remained as they were. By this point, her affection and fondness for him had grown to new heights. She stood up, stretching her legs and arms, then tapped Keitaro on the shoulder.

"Come on, Keitaro. We better get you back."

* * *

**[[Hotel, Bar - 11.14]]**

The bar was busy, as it always was on a summer's night, with the occasional group of people playing drinking games. The said people passing out and ending up falling onto the floor was not a uncommon sight, and was often an amusing one to the onlookers, except for the landlord and barkeepers who were more often than not the ones who ended up having to clean up the mess and help get them back to their hotel rooms. Haruka was sitting at the bar with an empty glass of beer, give or take one or two ice cubes, swirling it around. She watched as Su and Shinobu were both playing a game of Pontoon with Naru and Motoko.

"Pontoon!" Su shouted, merrily, "And that's the thirty-fourth game in a row I've won!"

Shinobu, Naru and Motoko sighed in disappointment as they threw their cards down.

"Ah, damn it! I had three sevens!" Naru exclaimed, pouting.

"Sorry Naru-Naru," Su said, still grinning, "a King and an Ace always beats three sevens! So, who's up for another game?"

"Me," said Shinobu.

"Not me," Motoko said, standing up to go outside, "I believe I have lost more than enough times for one night."

"Me too," Naru agreed, following her samurai friend. They both made it into the lobby when Naru thought of something.

"Hey, Motoko-_chan_," she said, "I hope that pervert isn't doing something to Kitsune."

Motoko turned somewhat worried as they were still close enough to the bar for Haruka to overhear them.

"Naru-_sempai_, do you not remember what Haruka-_sempai_ and Kanako-_san_ said?"

"I don't care... they should have been back by now!"

"Wait, Naru-_sempai_..."

Naru stomped out of the front door onto the beach, ready to wait for the two. Motoko sighed in defeat, and followed. Haruka watched the two as they went out, one after another.

_What's their problem?_ she thought, shaking her head while lighting up another cigarette.

* * *

**[[Beach, Promenade - 11.23 pm]]**

Yet again, Kitsune and Keitaro were both walking arm-in-arm back to the beach via the promenade, which was now almost deserted, when they went past a sleazy-looking bar. Kitsune noticed two burly men walking out, not looking like the friendly types at all. She winced as she envisioned what would happen if they spotted her and Keitaro.

_Uh-oh... here comes trouble,_ she thought. _They better not touch Keitaro if they come over here._

"ANOTHER bar we've been kicked out of!" the first one exclaimed, "I told you they'd do that again!

"Yeah... vindictive bastards, the lot of 'em." the second replied. They turned around and noticed Kitsune walking past.

"Hmm... this could be our lucky night! Look at that one over there!"

"Yeah, she's hot!"

They walked over to Kitsune and Keitaro. Feeling as if someone was behind them, the fox-eyed girl turned around to come face-to-face with the two men. She shuddered inwardly.

"Well, well, well..." the first man said, smiling lasciviously, "what's a hot babe like you doing here? Come with us," he continued, grabbing her arm.

"No, thank you," Kitsune replied, her normally laid-back personality becoming weary as her patience wore thin.

"Yeah, ditch this loser," the second one said as he grabbed Keitaro by the scruff of the neck and threw him into a wall. Keitaro held his arms to his head defensively and curled up into a ball, starting to rock back and forth while making screeching noises out of anxiety. The first man looked at his friend, then roared with laughter.

"Gwahaha! Look, we've got a crybaby!"

They walked up to Keitaro and bent down towards him. The first one started shoving Keitaro around.

"Awww... does baby want his bottle?" the second mocked, making cooing noises. They erupted in laughter once again. By this point, Kitsune had seen and heard enough. She didn't care about the fact that she was being 'picked up' any longer, but they had gone too far when they dragged Keitaro into the thing and proceeded to insult him. Her cool exterior quickly turned to that of rage. She clenched her teeth and opened her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows. She walked up to the two men and tapped them on the shoulder. When they turned around, they had no time to say a word as she gave them both a swift, brain-rattling slap right across the face. Once they had recovered, they stood up and advanced towards her.

"Insult me all you want," she hissed, "but if you ever lay another hand on him, you'll get another one of those."

"Why... you little whore!"

The first man charged towards Kitsune, who moved out of the way before he could reach her. She took off one of her high heels and started hitting the man over the head with the heel. Noticing that he had covered up to protect his head, she took full advantage and kicked him as hard as she could right between the legs. The man dropped to his knees, clutching his battered crotch.

"M-Mummy..." he incoherently squeaked.

She gave him one last whack over the head with the high heel, before turning to the other man. He winced upon seeing Kitsune's angry face. He winced even further upon thinking that he would be getting the same as his friend if he didn't run away, knowing what was best for him.

"Uh... gotta go, bye!" he said running off as fast as he could, leaving his immobilised friend behind. Kitsune sighed in disgust and put her high heels back on. She walked over to Keitaro, who was still curled in a ball. She knelt beside him and rubbed his back soothingly, figuring that it did the trick 99.9% of the time - which it did once again. Kitsune placed her hands under Keitaro's arms and helped him stand up. Keitaro still looked shaky and anxious from the encounter, so she gave him a friendly rub on the shoulder. After a few minutes, he eventually calmed down and fidgeted with his hands.

"Time for hotel now..." he muttered.

Kitsune took hold of his hand again.

"Yeah. Let's get you back. They'll be wondering where we got to."

* * *

**[[Beach, Northern Shores - 11.47 pm]]**

The moon was at it's peak as the time was nearing midnight, with the stars still scattered across the sky. Kitsune was looking up at the moon, the light shining on her face again. The hotel was around a hundred feet away when she stopped walking, as she thought of another idea.

_Hmm... Mutsumi-san said that she taught him how to dance when they went for that walk earlier today, and that he was a beautiful dancer. I wonder if he will dance with me...?_ She mused, looking at Keitaro thoughtfully. She placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking.

"Hey, Keitaro?"

"Yeah."

Kitsune placed her hands behind her back, fidgeting, and looked down towards the sand embarrassedly.

"Umm... I was wondering. Mutsumi-_san_ told me that she taught you to dance, and that you did very well. Do you think you could... dance with... me?" She blushed a healthy hue of crimson as she finished the sentence with a barely audible squeak. Keitaro jumped up and down on the spot, clapping his hands gleefully as his face brightened up in delight.

"Yeah. Want to dance with Kitsune."

Kitsune's head snapped up at that.

"Really? You... you want to dance with me?"

"Yeah. Want to dance with Kitsune."

The expression on her face was beyond delighted, with the blush still visible. She took Keitaro by the hand and led him to the centre of the beach. He held her in the way Mutsumi showed him, and moved rhythmically as he remembered what Mutsumi had told him;

_**"...Now, when you dance, you can't watch the other person's feet; you have to keep looking up at them..."**_

He then started to slowly turn, still holding Kitsune.

"Dancing under the starlight," he said, looking at Kitsune. The smile on her face widened as she leaned in towards his ear.

"(It's very nice.)"

They continued dancing for a few moments longer. Unknown to them, Naru and Motoko were both watching them. Naru's face was contorted with anger at the fact that her fox-eyed friend and Keitaro were both holding each other, while Motoko watched in admiration.

"(Why, that pervert! He's touching Kitsune! I'm going to teach him a less --)"

Motoko barred her path by outstretching her arm.

"(Motoko-_chan_? Can't you see what he's doing to her?)"

"(Yes. Look closely.)"

Naru did so.

"(Wait. Are they...?)"

"(Yes. They're dancing.)"

By this point, Kanako and Mutsumi had come back. They were exchanging light chatter before Mutsumi trailed off. As Kanako was about to ask what was wrong, she noticed why she stopped, raising a smile.

"(You know, Mutsumi-_san_,)" Kanako whispered, "(he really is a beautiful dancer; even more so when under the night sky.)"

"(Ara... I told you so, Kanako-_san_,)" Mutsumi replied, with stars in her eyes.

Kitsune was still dancing in Keitaro's arms. She leaned in towards his ear again.

"(_Arigato_, Keitaro. You've made this a wonderful night for me. I wouldn't have swapped this for anything.)"

"Yeah."

"(I want to kiss you for doing that for me.)"

Kitsune leaned back and looked into his eyes.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yeah."

She blushed even more, opening her eyes fully.

"Open your mouth slightly. Like this," she said, demonstrating to Keitaro, who did what he was shown. "Now, close your eyes."

Keitaro closed his eyes, cautiously.

"Don't worry," Kitsune said, "I won't hurt you."

"Yeah."

With his mouth open and eyes closed, Kitsune did the same and leaned in closely towards his face, tilting her head at a slight angle to avoid bumping noses with each other. As soon as they both brushed lips, Keitaro pulled away, slightly uncomfortable at the feeling.

"(It's okay,)" she reassured.

She leaned back in, tilting her head again. To her, it felt like forever before their lips made contact. Time stopped completely for her as she luxuriated in the feeling of his lips against hers. She surprised herself with the amount of love and affection she placed into that kiss, although Keitaro never probably noticed. The only noise that interrupted their thoughts was the sound of the small waves breaking. Naru and Motoko could only blush, speechless - for once - at Kitsune's actions; the former clenching her fists till her knuckles went white, and the latter holding her hand to her eyes, peeking through her fingers. Kanako stared on, with jealousy written all over her face. Mutsumi just looked on, a finger on her lips.

_Kitsune-san is... ki... ki-kissing... oniichan..._ Kanako thought, her jealousy growing by the second.

_Ara... I wonder if I can join in?_ Mutsumi pondered, closing her eyes.

She pulled back seconds later, opening her eyes. Keitaro still had his eyes closed.

"So... how did it feel?" she asked, flushing.

"Soft," he replied, slowly opening his eyes.

Kitsune giggled, as it wasn't an answer she expected.

"Then we did it right."

They broke off from each other's hold. Kitsune put her hands behind her back again, and looked at Keitaro, who had a healthy blush on his cheeks. After a few minutes of staring at each other, she took him by the arm.

"Come on, the hotel's over there."

They both walked slowly towards the hotel, Kitsune still blushing as she thought of one more thing.

_Heh,_ she chuckled inwardly, _I guess I do love him. Who wouldn't?_

They still didn't notice that they were being watched by Naru and Motoko, who had hidden behind a group of bushes. What they did notice was footsteps coming from behind them. Kitsune turned around to see Kanako and Mutsumi walking a few steps behind them, clapping politely.

"Mutsumi-_san_? Kanako-_san_?" Kitsune asked, "Where did you two get off to?"

Kanako smirked.

"We both went for a walk shortly after you both went."

"Ara... Urashima-kun, you were brilliant," Mutsumi said, walking over to the two. Kanako turned to face Keitaro.

"_Oniichan_..." she started, holding one of his hands in both of hers, "that was a really beautiful dance. Mutsumi-_san_ taught you well."

"Yeah."

The three young women smiled fondly at him.

"Come on, sweetie," Kitsune said, looping her arm around his again.

"Yeah," Kanako continued while looping her arm around his free arm, "Haruka-_obasan_ and the others will be wondering where we got to."

The four walked through the front doors of the hotel into the lobby. A few seconds later, Naru and Motoko emerged from the bushes. Motoko walked through the front door, while Naru stood outside, left with her thoughts of what she saw earlier.

**

* * *

::: _END CHAPTER TWELVE_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Wow... this chapter was by far the hardest one to write as I never been on a date, so it's probably not very good.

If anyone's wondering, the second half of the chapter title (Tripudio Inferus Est Astrum is Latin for 'Dancing Under The Starlight'.

And about the alternate ending idea. I'll wait till there's a few more reviews before finally deciding on what to do, but at the moment, the scales are tipping heavily in favour of the happy ending... and I decided that I will include an epilogue. But, once I've done the epilogue, I'll post the ending I originally had in mind up as a _omake_ of sorts, so it doesn't interfere with the fanfic in any way. Sounds better, does it not? No? Oh, bugger it...

Apologies to my three beta readers. Although I didn't rush this chapter (I've been working on it since Sunday night), I couldn't send it as I had to be quick in posting it up. I got a new computer today and was told to finish anything I was doing before it was due to be set up. Once again, my apologies.

Now, I start college tomorrow so don't expect updates as quick as 2-3 days. I may be able to update fairly quick throughout the first few days, but as the workload increases, the update frequency will go down. I'm gonna be in for one busy year...

_- GaC -_


	13. Learning To Connect

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTE :::**

Bwahahaha... er, nah. :) Yes, it's another song. This time it's 'Love Is All Around' by Wet Wet Wet - one of my favourite songs. Next time I include a song in later chapters, you're all more than welcome to use my head as a football. :P

I also decided to centre-align certain parts of the text.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech.  
"(...)" - denotes whispering.  
((...)) - denotes settings and time.  
-...- - denotes sound effects.  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.  
_Underlined Italics_ denote song lyrics.

* * *

**_Chapter Thirteen_ :::** _Learning To Connect... New Friendships

* * *

_

**((Hotel, Room 210))  
((12.19 pm))**

Kitsune sat on the end bed in the hotel room she shared with Keitaro and Mutsumi, wearing nothing but a white nightgown, holding a small cup of saké between her fingers. In her other hand was the small print club photo that she and Keitaro had taken the night before. She stared at it intently, unblinking. Wearing a warm, tender smile on her face, her cheeks started to flush slightly as she reminisced.

Reminisced the dance.

And the kiss she shared with him.

The only man she had true feelings for since she was a high-school student.

She blushed heavily at the last thought, taking a sip from the cup in her hand.

Love. In the eyes of many, it is a funny feeling which holds more than one single definition. Just as it is strong, it is also fragile. Strong enough to bind two people closely together forever, yet so fragile that all it takes is nothing more than even the smallest of misunderstandings to make the love between two people fade away as quick as it came.

She continued to stare at Keitaro's face, putting her fingers to her mouth.

_Keitaro... simply being with you brightens my day. You're not like any other man I've had a relationship with in the past. I know that would be obvious, what with your disability and all... but you really seem to like me for who I am, rather than for my body. Unlike other men, you like getting to know me. And you're honest. Talented. Heck... that's what makes you so special I guess._

She took another sip, a distant look appearing in her eyes.

_I really hope you enjoyed last night as much as I did..._

Putting the cup of saké on the bedside table where the bottle stood, she flopped backwards onto the bed, her head resting on the soft pillow. She stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.

_Yes. I love Keitaro. I ain't denying it._

The only noises that could be heard in the room were the faint sounds of children cheering as they played on the beach and the whirring of the rotary fan on the ceiling, providing a cool breeze that was more than welcome in the room. Since she danced with Keitaro the previous night, he was all she thought of. She had long since stopped questioning her feelings and accepted the fact that it was love she felt for Keitaro. As he was already asleep when they got back to their room after a nightcap at the hotel's bar, she decided to use the fact that neither her nor Mutsumi could get to sleep as an opportunity to confess her feelings for Keitaro to her. Mutsumi already had an idea about this, much to the fox's surprise. This morning, she decided to tell the other residents of Hinata Sou.

Perhaps telling Su second wasn't the best of ideas, after all. Kitsune cringed at the fact that although the hyperactive _gaijin_ DID keep what she told her a secret, it took bribing her with two weeks worth of chocolate-covered bananas and promising to buy her some banana-flavoured _takoyaki_ for lunch in order to get her to put down a megaphone she somehow stumbled across.

Shinobu, thankfully for her, was just as understanding as Mutsumi and didn't need telling to keep her confession a secret.

Dealing with Naru and Motoko, however, was an entirely different kettle of fish. To keep them from kicking off a tirade and pointing out all of Keitaro's 'flaws' - which very nearly happened - was like trying to put out a forest fire with a water bottle, but Kitsune was successful in reminding them of the little deal she made back with them back in Hinata Sou after their little stunt to get Keitaro removed from his job of _kanrinin_, which, as she pointed out, would have most likely continued by now if they hadn't had an almost sudden change of heart and came clean with her. She smirked at the looks on their faces as she made them both clean up all the mess they made in the _onsen_, and barely prevented herself from doubling over as she remembered the expression of humiliation on their faces as she tipped all the contents of the bin back out onto the ground.

Finally, there was Kanako and Haruka. They didn't need to be told, as it was more than obvious to them how she felt about him. Especially to Haruka; she knew Kitsune since she was in high-school - well enough to read her inside-out. Hiding things from her were impossible as she would immediately read between the lines. Kanako, who took a stab in the dark, understood and accepted the fact that Kitsune was in love with her _oniichan_, though she concealed her jealousy extremely well.

She broke off her thoughts when she heard some music that sounded like a guitar being played. Looking at the small radio that her bottle of saké stood next to, she noticed that it wasn't switched on. Realising this, she immediately thought of one other source; smiling fondly as she did.

_Keitaro..._

Standing up, she walked over to the sliding doors and drew the curtains back, grimacing as the sun shone in her face. Indeed, she saw Keitaro sitting on the balcony overlooking the beach, tuning his guitar. He then took the plectrum out of his pocket, and started playing. Her fox-like features perked up as she immediately recognised the tune he started to play.

_That tune..._ I remember now, she mused in remembrance, _it was one of... his... favourite songs..._

Keitaro started to sing to himself, not knowing that Kitsune had slid open the door separating the balcony and the room.

_I feel it in my fingers  
I feel it in my toes  
Love is all around me  
And so the feeling grows_

Kitsune started to sing along in a whisper.

_It's written on the wind  
It's everywhere I go  
So if you really love me  
Come on and let it show_

Keitaro started to rock slowly from side to side, his hair fluttering slightly in the cool, prevailing wind. Kitsune sat back down on the side of the bed, with the sun appearing around Keitaro's head as if it were an aureole. She continued to sing along.

_You know I love you  
I always will  
My mind's made up  
By the way that I feel_

_There's no beginning  
There'll be no end  
'Cause on my love  
You can depend_

She opened her eyes slightly, crossing one leg over the other as she listened on.

_I see your face before me  
As I lay on my bed  
I gotta get to thinking  
Of all the things you said  
Oh, yes I do_

_You give your promise to me  
And I give mine to you  
I need someone beside me  
In everything I do_

_You know I love you  
I always will  
My mind's made up  
By the way that I feel_

_There's no beginning  
There'll be no end  
'Cause on my love  
You can depend_

For the next few moments, the sound of Keitaro strumming the guitar was the only one that filled the room. Kitsune tapped her fingers on her knee in rhythm with the music before Keitaro started singing again.

_It's written in the wind  
Oh, everywhere I go_

_So if you really love me  
Love me  
Come on and let it show_

Keitaro continued to repeat those lines as he remembered the rest of the song off by heart. As soon as he trailed off, finishing the last few notes, he received a polite applause from Kitsune, who was still sitting on the side of the bed with her legs crossed. He put his guitar back in it's case, and turned to face Kitsune again. She patted the bed, motioning him to come and sit next to her, which he did. She put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it.

"Great singing; as always, sweetie," she said, smiling at him.

"Yeah."

She swiveled around so she was lying on the bed, resting her head on the pillow. She slid her hand down his arm to his hand, grasping it.

"Did you enjoy our date last night?"

"Yeah. Enjoyed date a lot. Enjoyed dance and kiss."

Kitsune couldn't help but blush at the last comment, putting her fingers to her lips again. Her eyes opened slightly.

_He enjoyed as much as I hoped he would have..._ she mused, wistfully.

Keitaro turned to face Kitsune, swinging his legs around onto the bed, sitting with his legs folded. He put his hand on the top of her head and started to lazily ruffle her hair. She looked at him fondly, although he avoided eye contact. He stopped ruffling and moved his hand from the top of her head down to the back of her neck, making her sit up. The feeling of his fingers running through the hair on the back of her head made her tingle, eliciting a giggle. After a few moments, he stopped, swinging his legs back over the side of the bed. He started to fidget with his fingers, rocking back and forth while whispering to himself repeatedly. Out of curiosity, Kitsune leaned in and listened closely, noticing what he was saying.

"(Liked date. Liked dance.)"

She smiled and crawled over to him. Brushing a few stray hairs away from the side of his face, she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

**((Beach, Northern Shores))  
((12.48 pm))**

Keitaro was sitting in the shallow area of the water. He was staring at the horizon, continuously rocking back and forth while mimicking the sounds of the waves. The water was lapping against his legs, occasionally going high enough to sprinkle his stomach. Sitting a few steps behind him were Haruka, Kitsune, Mutsumi and Kanako, making sure that he was where they could see him. Sat further away in the water was Naru, who was occasionally taking glances at Keitaro. The look on her face was unreadable as she reflected on the way she and Motoko constantly reacted towards Keitaro, despite the change of heart they had back in Hinata Sou.

_Kitsune was right. Motoko-chan and I have been jumping to conclusions too often about Keitaro, without knowing anything about him._

She then took a glance towards Haruka, then Kanako.

_Maybe I can get to know him if I ask them...?_

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to the four. Haruka acknowledged her presence with a wave, as did Mutsumi. Kanako glared at Naru before turning her back to her. Kitsune looked uncertain.

"Hey Naru," Haruka greeted, extinguishing her cigarette, "what's up?"

"Ara... hello there, Narusegawa-_san_," Mutsumi followed up.

"Hi," she replied, meekly. She put her hands behind her back and looked down, drawing circles in the sand with her foot. "Um... Haruka-_san_, may I ask something?"

"Sure. Fire away."

Naru became more fidgety.

"I'm kinda nervous to ask though."

Haruka looked bemused.

"Why? It's only me you're asking."

Naru calmed down slightly.

"_Hai_... I suppose you're right. Anyway, I just wanted to know... if it's okay if I take a walk with Keitaro?"

Kanako immediately perked up upon hearing this. She spun around and stood up, giving Naru a glare which made her knees buckle.

"You WHAT?!" Kanako spat, viciously, "You expect us to let you go for a walk with _oniichan_ after the way you and kendo girl Aoyama treat him!?"

"That's why I want to go for a walk with him," Naru replied, looking around for anything to stop her from meeting the younger Urashima's glare, "to make up for any misunderstandings we both had. Motoko agreed to come too."

Kanako's teeth started to grit together.

"Absolutely... not!"

Haruka stood up, placing a calming hand on her niece's shoulder.

"Hold on a sec, Kanako," she intervened coolly. "I know how much you hate them both after the way they speak to him, but this could be the chance for them both to get to know him properly and become more understanding of his needs."

Kanako stopped as she considered this, her expression softening.

"Hmph... alright," Kanako acquiesced, growling in defeat. She then walked up to Naru and leered at her. "But if I find out that you both tried something with _oniichan_..."

She lowered her tone menacingly, so as to get her point across to Naru.

"...There will be hell to pay. Understand?"

She leaned in to her ear.

"(Just because I'm letting you both get to know him doesn't mean I have forgiven either of you.)"

Naru gulped nervously as she nodded, recalling the time when Kanako found out about her and Motoko's plan to get Keitaro kicked out and removed as _kanrinin_. How could she forget? A mad girl stormed into her room, hellbent on avenging her brother, and nearly did so if it weren't for Kitsune persuading her not to. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she then went to get Motoko, coming back with the said girl moments later. While Motoko waited with Haruka and the others, she went over with Kitsune to Keitaro, who was still sitting in the shallow waters.

"Keitaro, do you want to go for a walk with me and Motoko-_chan_?"

Silence. Naru frowned.

"Keitaro?"

More silence. Kitsune crouched beside Keitaro.

"Sweetie, Naru is talking to you," she spoke softly.

"Yeah."

He turned towards Naru, who was crouching in front of him.

"I'm going for a walk with Motoko-_chan_. Do you want to come?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, avoiding her gaze.

Her face brightened up slightly.

"Okay. We're leaving now."

She stood up, bending down to take him by the arm, but Keitaro's elicitation of screeching sounds made her think otherwise. She saw Kitsune looking at her with an expression that read 'I wouldn't do that if I were you'.

"We're just going back to our rooms to get some stuff," Naru said, turning to Kitsune, who simply nodded in reply as her friend and Motoko both went to their rooms. Kitsune offered to watch over Keitaro until they got their stuff. She asked them to get Keitaro's rucksack, which they complied.

**((Moments later...))**

Naru came back down carrying Keitaro's rucksack and a plastic bag containing some drinks, snacks and a small ball in case they decided to play a small game. Motoko came down carrying nothing except her _bokken_. Kitsune took the rucksack from Naru and handed it to Keitaro, who hoisted it over his shoulder. They started walking down towards the promenade, on the southern shores.

"Don't be back too late," Haruka called out to them, "and keep an eye on Keitaro! He sometimes goes astray."

"_Hai_, Haruka-_sempai_," Motoko called back.

Kitsune looked on with concern, as did Kanako.

_I'm a bit unsure about this..._ Kitsune pondered, uncertain whether letting him go with Naru and Motoko was such a good idea. Kanako tapped Kitsune on the arm, and leaned towards her ear.

"(I know they said that they want to spend some time with _oniichan_,)" Kanako whispered, "(but I'm finding it hard to trust their words. So I'm going to follow them. Do you want to come?)"

Kitsune mulled over this for a few moments.

_I don't really like the idea of this as we'll be invading their privacy by spying... yet on the other hand, I fear for Keitaro's safety in case anything goes wrong._

"...Ah, screw it. I'm in."

* * *

**((Beach, Eastern Shores))  
((1.07 pm))**

Keitaro, Naru and Motoko were slowly strolling down the beach along where the water meets the sand. Naru and Motoko chatted lightly, while occasionally taking glances back at Keitaro to make sure he was alright. Keitaro, on the other hand, looked around nervously, fidgeting with his fingers frequently. He started whispering to himself. Naru, hearing this, stopped walking and looked back. She waited for him to catch up with her. Motoko continued walking until she noticed that her auburn-haired friend was slightly further back. Shaking any negative assumptions about why they had stopped, she walked back to the two with a passive look on her face.

"Naru-_sempai_, what is wrong?" Motoko asked.

Naru simply nodded her head towards Keitaro. Motoko noticed that he was still fidgeting, scanning his surroundings while whispering to himself.

"What's wrong with him?" Naru asked, a rare tone of concern for Keitaro in her voice.

Motoko took a closer look, coming to a conclusion within a few seconds. She looked back at Naru.

"It would appear that he is still wary of us. Perhaps we should persuade him that we have no intentions of harm."

"Maybe you're right."

They both sat down on the sand near the water. Motoko motioned for Keitaro to sit between them, which he reluctantly did. Naru put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, only resulting in making Keitaro stiffen. In an attempt to help soothe him, she slowly rubbed his shoulder.

"Don't worry - we won't hurt you," she reassured.

"Yeah."

After a few moments, he relaxed. For a few moments, the trio remained silent, the sound of seagulls and the water lapping against the beach filling the air. Motoko decided to break the silence.

"So, Urashima," she started, "do you like it here?"

Silence.

"Urashima?"

"Yeah.

"Do you like it here?"

Keitaro looked at the horizon.

"Yeah. Water and sand pretty."

Motoko smiled, faintly.

"Yes," she replied, turning to face the water, "it is rather nice."

They remained silent for a few moments longer, until a breeze blew some of Motoko's hair into the side of Keitaro's face, making him turn to face Motoko, who was still staring at the sea. Raising his hand tentatively, he took some of Motoko's hair in his hand, and started stroking it. She noticed this, and instead of stiffening like when he did it in the van on the way to the beach, she remained relaxed. She even closed her eyes as he gradually started to stroke the hair further up her head.

_This is very relaxing,_ she thought, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.

A couple of minutes later, Naru looked to her side to see Keitaro still stroking Motoko's ebony hair. She also noticed the look of relaxation on her face as he did so.

**((60 metres away...))**

Kitsune and Kanako were hiding behind an unusually large sand dune, watching the three. The fox had a pair of what seemed to be infra-red binoculars in hand, looking on with an expression that was somewhere between surprise and relief; surprise at the fact that Motoko was actually letting him stroke her hair, and relief at the fact that neither of the two had decided to lash out for his actions. They also had Su with them, who decided to tag along. In her hand was something that looked like a cross between a microphone and a hand-held radio. Noticing the contraption in Su's hand, Kitsune was suddenly filled with worry, as the young _gaijin_'s inventions often went haywire at the worst of times. That, or they came with small surprises in the form of a nuclear substance that helped power them.

_Kami, I hope something doesn't go wrong here..._ Kitsune thought with a barely suppressed shudder.

Kanako looked at Su's hand-held device, a bemused look on her face.

"Um, Su-_chan_..." she began, "what exactly IS that you're holding, anyway? And why is it blending in with the sand?"

Su spun around to face Kanako, a beaming grin on her face.

"Nya ha ha! This is my Mr. Camou-Audio Mk. 3!" she replied. "It is able to detect any sounds which are within a radius of 100 metres away. And to stop anyone from becoming suspicious, it blends in with the surroundings! Problem is, there are a few bugs on this do-hickey which still need to be sorted out..." she added with a pout.

"Bugs...? Like what...?" Kitsune muttered, a vein appearing on her forehead.

"Well, since it's very sensitive to sounds, then if it picks up any sounds that are too loud..."

Pause.

"C'mon Su; spit it out."

Another short pause, followed by a clearing of the throat.

"(...the fuse will blow.)"

"What was that? I didn't hear."

"...The fuse will blow."

Kitsune had a bemused smirk on her face.

"What's the big deal about that?"

Su lowered her head.

"The fuse consists of magnesium. Once it blows, the magnesium filling will burn with a flame which gives off a light that's so bright it can end up blinding someone."

Kitsune makes a strangling gesture with her hands behind Su.

"Why can't you make anything _normal_? Anything that _doesn't_ involved affecting people in any way!?" Kitsune growled through gritted teeth.

Su spun around to face her and looked up with another big grin on her face.

"'Cause otherwise being a mad scientist will be no fun! Nya ha ha!" she replied with a manical laugh that made Kitsune and Kanako sweatdrop.

**((Near the shoreline...))**

The trio of Naru, Motoko and Keitaro were still sitting in the middle of the beach, facing the water. Keitaro had stopped stroking Motoko's hair, and was now stroking Naru's. Although slightly uncomfortable with it at first, she eventually warmed up to it, and let him continue. Motoko was sitting with her legs folded and hands on her knees, meditating.

A few moments later, Naru stood up and took what looked like a small tennis ball out of her bag.

"Keitaro? Motoko?" she started. "Do you two want to play a game of catch?"

"No thank you, Naru-_sempai_," Motoko replied, not opening her eyes. "I think I shall meditate for a while longer."

"Keitaro?" she asked again.

"Yeah," he replied, standing up. "Want to play catch."

Naru smiled slightly.

"Okay, catch it is."

**((Beach, Sand Dune))  
((Seconds before...))**

Kitsune and Su were both bickering with each other about the downsides of most of the inventions she manages to create. There was no denying that Su was a genius when it came to the fields of science and mechanics, but it wasn't like she could claim that all of her inventions were perfect, as Kitsune reminded her of a time when one of her inventions exploded, causing a chain reaction that would have destroyed the whole of Hinata Sou - and perhaps the entire hot spring town itself, hadn't Motoko launched it hundreds of feet into the sky with a gust of _ki_ from her _katana_, with the shockwaves from the explosion able to be felt from sea level.

"Quiet, you two!" Kanako literally barked as she could hear talking coming from Su's Mr. Camou-Audio. "I can hear something!"

The three remained silent as the contraption gave off sounds which sounded like someone standing up, followed by the rustling of a plastic bag. Static was also present. A few seconds later, speaking could be heard.

_**-Fzzt-** ...do you two want to play a game of catch?... **-fzzzzt-**_

_**-Crackle-** ...no thank you, Naru-sempai... **-fzzt-**_

_**-Fzzzt-crackle-** ...yeah... **-crackle-**_

_Catch?_ Kanako thought. _I'm keeping my eye on her..._

Naru then stood a distance of around twenty-five feet away from Keitaro, who stood with his arms down by his side.

**((Beach, Shoreline))  
((Present time))**

"Okay, Keitaro," Naru said, "now I'm going to throw this ball to you. You have to catch it. Got that?"

"Yeah.

Naru readied the hand she had the ball in to throw.

"Ready?"

She threw the ball overarm to Keitaro, who started to observe his surroundings again. He didn't notice that the ball had hit him in the arm, jolting him out of his reverie. Naru couldn't help but giggle as she pointed at the ball.

"Silly, you're meant to catch it."

She stopped giggling and walked over to him to demonstrate what she meant.

"Okay, now, you take the ball," she explained, taking his hand in one of her's and using the other to give him the ball. "Now, I'm going to go over there. When I tell you to, you throw the ball to me. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Naru walked back over to where she stood.

"Okay, now throw the ball to me."

Keitaro threw the ball underarm to Naru. He got enough height and distance for her to catch it. She caught it, but fumbled as it bounced slightly.

"That was good, Keitaro," she said, clapping her hands politely.

"Yeah."

"Now, I'm going to throw it to you. Catch it this time."

**((One hour later...))**

By this time, the sun was at it's highest point in the sky, and Naru and Keitaro both decided to stop for a break. Keitaro's face was covered in a light sheen of sweat, as was Naru's. Taking some drinks out of her bag, she handed one to Keitaro.

"Orange flavour," Keitaro said, examining the bottle.

"_Hai_, it is," Naru replied.

"Blackcurrant. Don't like orange flavour. Blackcurrant flavour is better."

Naru had a bemused look on her face.

"You don't like orange flavour?"

"No."

She took the bottle of orange from him, and put it back in the bag.

"You want blackcurrant flavour?"

"Yeah."

Her hands still in the bag, she looked for a bottle of blackcurrant-flavoured juice. Sure enough, she picked one out, handing it to him. He took off the cap and started drinking, walking into the shallow water and sitting down. Naru took her place next to him. Motoko was sat in the same position as she was before, looking as if she hadn't moved a muscle, still meditating. An aura of calmness and serenity loomed over the three until Naru decided to break it.

"So, Keitaro... do you like Kitsune?" she asked, feigning obliviousness to the previous nights events.

"Yeah."

Naru shifted until she was sat facing Keitaro.

"Do you love her?"

"Yeah. I love Kitsune."

Naru felt a pang of jealousy at his words. Although her fox-eyed friend admitted that she loved him, and she accepted it, she couldn't help but also be jealous at her too. The last time Naru had fallen in love with someone was during her days at high school, at which time she had many admirers. Kitsune was more outgoing and social than her, which was something she envied quite a lot as she concentrated more on studying than going out with her friends and other ways of socialising. In the end, however, Kitsune ended up with a reputation about how 'forward' she towards other boys was in the eyes of many, which didn't exactly give her a good image when it came to building up relationships. Add the fact that before Keitaro came, Kitsune liked to drink to excess, which made many men take advantage of her. Although Kitsune insisted that it didn't affect her in any way, deep down, she was very hurt. Surprisingly, Naru couldn't read between the lines as her and Kitsune have been the best of friends for years, but Haruka immediately knew of Kitsune's pain at not being able to hold a steady relationship. Now, some of that pain may have eased as she found someone she knew wouldn't take advantage of her again, even though they all knew that he wouldn't be capable of doing so.

**((Beach, Sand Dune))  
((Seconds later...))**

Kitsune, who was listening in from the moment Naru mentioned her, felt the blood race up to her cheeks. Upon hearing Keitaro's last comment, she would have broken the world record for the most blushes possible in the space of one minute fifty times over by now. She placed her hands on her cheeks to prevent Kanako and Su from seeing. Unfortunately for her, Su noticed and started to dance around on top of the dune.

"Nya ha ha! Kitsune loves Keitaro! Kitsune loves Keitaro!" she sang cheerfully. Kanako barely stifled a chuckle that was yearning to come out, while Kitsune - blushing more than ever - stood up dived at her to quieten her down. This failed as Su dodged it with ease. Unknown to either of them, they had captured the attention of the trio further down the beach...

**((Beach, Shoreline))  
((Present time...))**

Motoko was snapped out of her meditation upon hearing Su's mirthful singing. Her eyes opened slowly, and she stood up. Her years of strenuous training in the Shinmei School meant that she was able to determine the whereabouts of Kitsune, Su and Kanako by reading their _ki_ signals.

_Hmm? What are Kitsune-san, Su-chan and Kanako-san doing here?_

She walked over to the dune, slowly so as to not capture their attention.

**((Beach, Sand Dune))  
((Ten seconds later...))**

Kitsune was still diving at Su to keep her from shouting her secret, unaware that Motoko was approaching them. Kanako was still chuckling heartily, a rare sight, while Su was still dancing around without showing any signs of getting tired.

"What are you three doing here?" came Motoko's voice, making the three jump out of their skins and Su stop dancing.

"We-Well..." Kitsune started, finding it hard to meet Motoko's gaze, "we thought we'd see how Keitaro was doing with you two. Kanako wanted to check up on him..."

"Hey, Motoko!" shouted Su, dancing again. "Kitsune has the hots for Keitaro!"

The swordswoman couldn't help but blush at Su's outburst, even though she was told already by Kitsune at breakfast a matter of hours ago.

_Argh..._ Kitsune thought, not the best intentions appearing in mind, _wait till I get my hands on her..._

"...Motoko-_chan_?"

Kitsune's lowered her head.

"(Don't tell me that's who I think it is...)" she whispered to herself, turning to find that Naru and Keitaro were approaching the three, having heard the commotion. Her face turned pale with her cheeks starting to flush again, making her look like a porcelain China doll.

_Ah... crap._ Kitsune thought. She then turned to Su, who was still spinning on the spot like a ballerina. "(This is your fault,)" she chided, "(you and your loud mouth. Our deal from this morning is off.)"

Su started to look sad, but immediately brightened up again as she remembered. Searching through her bag, she received a strange look from both Kanako and the fox until she pulled out the megaphone she came across the previous day. Kitsune's eyes widened fully as Su stood on the dune and started shouting through it.

_Oh, hell, no... she's not going to do what I think she's gonna do --_

"Kitsune has the hots for Keitaro------!!!" she yelled as loud as she could. The fact that her voice was amplified didn't help matters.

The fox felt like she wanted to crawl in a hole and die right on the spot of embarrassment. Kanako's chuckling turned into fully blown laughter as she fell to her side on the sand. Naru and Motoko just stood there with their mouths agape.

**

* * *

::: _END CHAPTER THIRTEEN_ :::

* * *

**

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTES :::**

Chapter Thirteen done. Got this one done fairly quick... and it's the longest chapter to date.

This may seem like a filler chapter that came out of nowhere... and in a way, it is. So if it's not lived up to anyone's expectations by explaining too little or seeming kinda rushed, then flames are welcome - within reason. :P

Anyway, translation time...

_Takoyaki_: octopus dumplings.

And yet again, sorry to my three beta readers... I wasn't able to send you the file, after trying around five times. For some reason, the e-mail wouldn't send because of the attachment - that's never stopped it before. Damn AOL...

_- GaC -_


	14. Homecoming

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech  
"(...)" - denotes whispering  
((...)) - denotes settings and time  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Fourteen_ :::** _Homecoming_

* * *

**((Beach, Eastern Shores))  
****((2.23 pm))**

The outing that Naru, Motoko and Keitaro had gone on had come to an abrupt end, due to the interceding of Kitsune, Kanako and Su; the young _gaijin_ far ahead of everyone else, skipping merrily and twirling like a ballerina. Kanako kept a considerable distance – respectable in her eyes – from Naru and Motoko, keeping them under close scrutiny; the latter being able to sense this using her _ki_. Keitaro was walking in the shallow water, fidgeting with his hands while mumbling to himself in a perpetual mantra. Apart from no more than a few couples, they were the only ones on the almost-deserted beach.

Lagging far behind the rest, unsurprisingly after what had come about only minutes earlier, was Kitsune. Her head was hung low, with her fringe hiding her reddened face. She couldn't bring herself to look anyone – not even Naru, and especially not Keitaro – in the eye without her face going redder than it already was, almost being bright enough to bring passing traffic to a halt, even with her head as low as it was.

_Damn it..._ she thought, embarrassedly, _...I should have known better than to tell Su something like that. Well, at least Bazooka Brenda, Gothic Gina and Katana Kate over there haven't started bugging me about it... yet._ The last thought of Naru as a bazooka that was prepped and ready to fire, Kanako as a Goth with pale skin and black, monochromatic clothing and Motoko as a sword amused her as a slight smirk formed on her fox-like features.

She slowly dragged her feet along the sand, as Su constantly shouted 'Kitsune loves Keitaro' through the megaphone, throwing her camou-audio invention up and down in the air joyously. A vein appeared on the fox's head as her left eyebrow started to twitch. After a few more seconds of listening on, Kitsune's normally calm demeanour switched to that of anger, as she ran up to the hyperactive _gaijin_ and picked her up from under the arms and spun her around to face her.

"Su, will you put that damn thing down and stop shouting that in front of everyone?!" she shrieked, blowing the young girl's hair back like a gale force wind. Kitsune's attention suddenly shifted towards Su's contraption – the same as everyone else's did – as the Mr. Camou-Audio Mk. 3 started to glow an ominous hue of blue.

"What the..." Kanako asked. "...Su, is your invention meant to be glowing like that?"

Su wriggled her way out of Kitsune's grip and sheepishly put a hand behind her head.

"Ehehe... I did warn you; if Mr. Camou-Audio receives an intake of too much sound, the fuse will blow and burn."

A large sweatdrop appeared on everyone's head, except Keitaro – who was still in the shallow water.

"Oops..." was all Kitsune could whisper as the glow started to intensify, a small flame appearing where the batteries are. Motoko drew her _katana_ from it's scabbard, knocked the invention from Su's hand with the flat side of the blade, then raised it above her head as she readied one of her dojo's powerful attacks.

"Shinmei School..."

She started to sweep the blade in a straight, downward arc as an aura of _ki_ gathered around it.

"...HIKEN ZANKUSEN!"

The _ki_ projectile was sent zooming towards the camou-audio, slicing through the contraption as if it were just butter. The fuse exploded with a bright flame, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Keitaro was still oblivious as to what was going on, starting to gather up some more seashells that he already had a large number of in a plastic bag. As the flame disappeared, leaving nothing but an area of grey smoke lingering in the air, everyone lowered their arms. Su placed a hand on the back of her head as she balanced tiptoed on one foot.

"Oh well! Looks like I'll need to make some minor adjustments to Mr. Camou-Audio Mk. 4!" she chirped, cheerfully as always.

"NO!" everyone shouted simultaneously, tears spraying out the corners of their eyes as a sweatdrop formed on the back of the young _gaijin_'s head.

**((Minutes later...))**

Everyone was within sight of the hotel, with Su still skipping along as if she had a sugar rush, Kanako still keeping Naru and Motoko under close scrutiny, making the former shudder as she directed a glare in her direction that gave her butterflies in her stomach. Kitsune was no longer dragging far behind everyone else; in fact, she was walking with Keitaro in the shallow water, holding her shoes and socks in one hand, and Keitaro's right hand in another. Also, she was nowhere near as embarrassed as she was after the little run-in with Naru and Motoko earlier.

"Whatcha got in the bag, sweetie?" she asked, noticing the plastic bag in his hand.

Keitaro gently released his hand from Kitsune's, and showed her the contents of the bag, which was nearly filled to the brim with seashells of various shapes and sizes.

"Seashells. Pretty seashells."

He took one out of the bag and held it to Kitsune's ear.

"You can hear the sea."

"_Hai_, you can." She replied kindly.

He took the bag in his left hand again while Kitsune took his right in hers again. She glanced sideways at him, staring wistfully.

_As always, his naivety makes him seem so adorable; that's what so loveable about the guy,_ she thought, the smile on her face widening as he crouched down to pick up another one. _I wonder if Naru and Motoko have noticed this side of him? It'd be pretty hard not to._

Before either of them had realised it, they had already reached the hotel by now, and the others were making their way towards Haruka, who was lying underneath a parasol on a towel, while Mutsumi, Shinobu and the resident turtle Tama-chan were playing in the water. This area of the beach was also near to seclusion, with a few more people scattered in random areas of the beach. Kitsune felt a tapping on her shoulder. Turning to see what was tapping her, she noticed Keitaro looking at her as he was withdrawing his finger. He had a slightly disappointed look on his face, which made Kitsune wonder what was wrong.

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

"No more seashells."

"No?"

"No."

They both walked over to Haruka, who raised her sunglasses to her forehead when she spotted a shadow beside her. She noticed Kitsune and Keitaro both standing beside her, and looked up at them with a friendly gaze.

"Well, ain't you two lovebirds a sight for sore eyes?" she asked playfully, a smirk of her own spreading across her face as Kitsune started to blush, while Keitaro seemed indifferent – almost as if he never heard what she said. She turned to look at Keitaro with a smile on her face, sitting up as she did so.

"Hey, Kei."

"Hello, Haruka-_obasan_."

"What's in the bag?" she asked, pointing at the bag of seashells Keitaro was still holding.

"Seashells," he replied, opening the bag up to show her, "got seashells from the water."

She peered into the bag.

"Pretty, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

He took out the same one he held to Kitsune's ear minutes earlier, and held it to Haruka's ear as she leant towards it.

"You can hear the sea."

"Yeah," she replied, nodding, "you can."

"Yeah."

He withdrew the shell from her ear a few seconds later and put it back in the bag. Mutsumi and Shinobu, soaking wet with water, walked over to the trio with Tama-chan perched comfortably on the violet-haired girl's head.

"Ara... hello Kei-_kun_, Kitsune-_san_," Mutsumi said, cheerfully. Shinobu just waved, and Tama-chan raised a flipper as if to greet them.

"Myuh!"

"Hey there, Mutsumi, Shinobu." Kitsune replied.

Haruka sat up some more.

"Well, are you all ready for going back to Hinata Sou tomorrow morning?"

Kitsune tilted her head to the side slightly, a surprised expression on her face.

"Wow..." she started, "three weeks sure have gone quick."

She turned to Keitaro.

"Haven't they, sweetie?"

"Yeah," he replied, staring at the sea.

Kitsune smiled, then turned back to Haruka.

"I think I'm gonna get back to the hotel. Do you want me to take Keitaro with me, or leave him here with you?"

"Whatever you want, I s'pose."

Her smile widened.

"I think I'll take him with me."

"Okay, fair enough."

Kitsune held Keitaro's hand again.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go to the hotel."

"Yeah."

* * *

**((Hotel, Car Park))  
****((9.31 am))**

The previous evening and night had not been very eventful, with the harem only packing their suitcases and bags ready for the morning return to Hinata Sou, then stopping off at the local bar and having a few quiet drinks before retiring to their rooms.

Haruka, with the help of Kanako, Kitsune and Keitaro, had finished loading the van with the luggage, heat-seeking missiles, laser guns and any other contraptions of mass destruction that Su had either brought along with her in the first place, or had invented during the residents' time at the beach. They all got into the van, with Haruka in the drivers' seat yet again. Naru and Mutsumi were in the passengers' seats. Su, Shinobu and Motoko were in the third row of seating, with Kanako, Keitaro and Kitsune in the second row.

About halfway through the trip, there was an unusual silence in the van, excluding Su's teasing of Shinobu and Mutsumi exchanging light conversation with Naru.

"Haruka-_san_?" Kitsune asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

"Hai, Kitsune-_san_?" Haruka replied, her eyes not leaving the road."

"Well, I was just wondering. What was Keitaro's childhood li --"

"Son of a bitch!" Haruka suddenly exclaimed as she swerved out of the way of a careless driver, obviously joyriding. She took her cigarette out of her mouth and tossed it out of the window, taking deep breaths to calm down. "Sorry Kitsune-san; you were saying?" she continued.

"I'm just curious... what was Keitaro like as a child? I mean, how did he get on at nursery and school... y'know, that kind of thing?"

Haruka thought for a moment, her eyes still not leaving the road.

"To be honest, I can't remember that much. But I can tell you what I do remember - and what Granny Hina told me - if that's alright?"

"I don't mind either way," Kitsune replied.

"Okay then." Haruka took another breath before starting. "He was as sweet as can be, really. Like a lovely toy, you just wanted to hug him till your heart's content; 'tis a bit of a shame that he didn't like people getting too close to him though."

Kitsune listened intently.

"At school, he was what some might call a bit of a loner... children never really wanted to play with him because of his deficits. He couldn't catch a ball properly, nor did he ever understand the concept of everyday games like 'tag'. Stuff like that, really. Nursery was no different, either. But it was as if he couldn't care about being lonely, either. He seemed indifferent, like he was in his own world all the time, and didn't want to come out for anyone except those close to him – kinda like an alien, without meaning to sound offensive to him..."

* * *

**((Flashback - 17 years ago...))  
****((Hinata Nursery, Playground))  
****((Time unknown))**

The cheers and chattering of young children filled the spring air as they ran around the playground, playing games such as tag or throwing balls around. Others were sitting on the concrete ground, playing with some marbles or other toys, or picking up the _sakura_ petals that had literally blanketed the playground.

Sitting alone in the sandpit, far away from everyone else, was a short boy that seemed to be a very young version of Keitaro, wearing glasses with straight, medium-length hair. Playing blocks were in front of him, placed in rows in accordance to their size – largest on the left, gradually going down to the shortest. His knees were up to his chin, and he was lazily drawing circles in the sand, rocking back and forth as he stared into the distance. He seemed to be at peace in his own inner world, everything being in peace and order.

He was soon jolted out of his reverie, when an older-looking, bigger child shoved him forward, making him land face first into the sand. He leaned forward; sneering as Keitaro dusted himself off and spat out some sand that was in his mouth.

"Hey, Urashima!" he grunted. "Move it; I wanna play here!"

Keitaro simply did as he was asked, standing up and walking away to another secluded, empty area of the playground. He sat with his back against a wall, in the shade. Picking up some _sakura_ petals that lay in front of him, he closed his palm, raised his hand above his head and dropped the petals, watching as they fluttered in the calm breeze. He did this perpetually, until a figure was standing over him. Looking up, he saw a young woman in front of him, a tranquil, inviting smile on her face; most likely a member of staff. He looked at her face but avoided all eye contact with her. Giggling softly, she knelt down and took one of his hands in both of hers, stroking it soothingly.

"Urashima-_kun_," she spoke, her voice soft as silk and calming as the scent of lavender, "Come with me. Let's have you playing with the other children, _ne_?"

"Yeah."

She stood him up gently, and led him over to a group of children who were stood in a circle, throwing and catching a ball in an anti-clockwise kind of direction. The young woman, clearing her throat, captured their attention.

"Urashima-_kun_ here is going to play with you," she said. "Now, be nice to him, alright?"

"_Hai_, Akasuragi-_san_!"

The woman named Akasuragi then walked off and left Keitaro with the group of children, a warm smile on her face. Keitaro was then positioned at some point in the circle, and the children continued to throw the ball in the anti-clockwise direction. When the ball was thrown at Keitaro, however, he didn't catch it; it hit him in the side of the face, where he suddenly snapped out of a daydream. The child who threw the ball picked it up, a frown on his face, whereas the others were giggling at Keitaro. The boy got ready to throw it again.

"Ready?"

He threw it again, only this time for it to hit Keitaro's shoulder; yet again, seemingly getting no reaction out of him at all, other than a jolt. The boy, now getting angry, walked up to Keitaro.

"You can't catch the ball, so you can't play with us!"

He readied the ball and threw it at Keitaro's head.

"Stupid! Stupid!"

The other children started chanting along with him, as he continued to throw the ball at Keitaro's head. Keitaro was, by now, beginning to get increasingly agitated. After a few moments more, he knocked the ball away from the boy's hand, and dropped to his knees, starting to rock back and forth in a mantra while screaming and making other sounds. He placed his hands on his ears, blocking out any sounds. This attracted the attention of Akasuragi and another member of staff, who both ran to the scene and tried to calm Keitaro down by removing his hands from his ears. This had the opposite effect as he dropped onto his back and started to roll in circles, kicking and thrashing at anyone who decided to take the chance of restraining him.

"Urashima-_kun_, please," Akasuragi said. "We only want to help you..."

**((Ten minutes later...))**

Keitaro was sat outside the headmaster's office inside the nursery on a chair, with Akasuragi by his side. He

"_Moshi moshi_, Urashima-_san_? _Hai_, this is the headmaster of the Hinata Nursery. I'm calling you about your son, Keitaro. You see, there was an incident that happened today, and looking back on incidents that have occurred in the past, we have reason to believe that there is something wrong with him..."

**((End Flashback))**

* * *

"Wow," Kitsune said, her eyes opened slightly in thought, "Sounds like that he hardly had that many friends as a child. He really must have been lonely."

"Nah, not really," Haruka replied. "Like I said, making friends has never really been first nature to him, so I don't think he was really bothered about being alone."

She paused for a moment as she reminisced.

"Though, when his parents came and collected him from the nursery, he was taken straight to the local surgery for a psychiatric analysis."

"And it was after many of those tests that he was finally diagnosed with autism?" Kanako asked.

"_Hai_. Back then, he was five. It wasn't until he was eight when he was finally diagnosed. Tests like these take time... and a hell of a lot of it, too."

_Wow,_ Naru thought, _he never had any friends as a child either..._

She bowed her head in shame.

_That makes me feel even more guilty for what I tried doing to him with Motoko. Kami, I was so cruel. I wish I could take back what I did, but I suppose I can't... not now._

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Stone Steps))  
****((10.43 am))**

The remainder of the journey saw everyone remain in an uncomfortable silence – uncomfortable chiefly for Naru and Motoko, who had their heads bowed after listening to Haruka recall a period of time in Keitaro's childhood. Other than that, it was relatively uneventful. Upon arriving, they all took their luggage down from the roof and proceeded to take them up the stairs. Su's weapons were left, however, through fear of setting them off and causing a scene that would have made a passer-by think that World War III had started right there in Hinata.

**((Fifteen minutes later...))**

The entire luggage had been placed in their respective rooms. Everyone had started off by doing their regular daily routines; Shinobu hanging out the washing, Su... well, possibly creating more weapons, adding to an already large stockpile that would make the Japanese army jealous. Motoko was practicing her _katas_ on the laundry deck; Naru was continuing her studies for _Todai_. Haruka was most likely the only one not carrying on her daily rituals, as she had kept her tea shop closed until the next day.

Keitaro, Kitsune and Kanako were sitting out in the front on a bench that overlooked the small hot spring town. Keitaro was seemingly sketching the scenery that greeted their eyes, while the fox and Kanako were conversing lightly. After a few minutes, Keitaro placed his sketchbook down by his side, having finished his sketch. Kitsune picked it up to look.

"Very good, sweetie."

"Yeah."

Flipping one of the pages over, she noticed a page full of small but slightly messy, childlike handwriting.

_Hmm?_ She thought. _What's this?_

Her curiosity aroused, she started to read to herself.

'_Some people say that I live in my own world, within my body and mind. Rather than with my mind, I think using my eyes; like a projector. Within my world, memories and experiences are etched and engraved._

_Ever since I was a child, I have always been different to the rest of society; the resident alien, you could say. I would always line up my toys in rows in my bedroom. The tallest would go at the back, and the smallest at the front. Toy bricks were arranged in order of colour, making them easier to find. Rather than 'drive' my toy cars, I would either spin them on their roofs until the paint had worn off, or I would spin the wheels for a while on end. In my own seclusion, I would do things that are seen to be unusual and odd to other people, like rocking back and forth, and humming to myself._

_The daily ritual of 'playtime' at school was always difficult for me. I could never grasp the concept of games like 'tag' or 'catch'. Hopscotch was another game I did not like. I would always fall over whenever I would go to hop. Because of my inability to understand the point of these games, nobody wanted me to play with them. I would always get teased and humiliated by other children; all the more reason to hide myself away into the safe seashell that I call my inner world. The teachers would always try persuading me to play with other children, but I would retreat back to my safe refuge as soon as they had turned their backs.'_

Kitsune's eyes widened at the quality of Keitaro's written piece as she continued to read.

'_My name is Keitaro Urashima, and I am 19 years old. I am a man with a severe case of autism, and have the qualities of a savant in music, maths, memorisation, art and writing. I also developed my speech at a late age. I was told that at the age of seven, I stopped speaking altogether when the anxiety that accompanied the everyday activity of talking reached the point where it became unbearable._

'_Because I am an autistic, my brain works in a completely different way to people who are not autistic. I have my own unique, surreal ways of thinking of things and trying to easily correlate my own definitions with words that I do not understand.'_

"Catching up on a bit of 'light reading', Kitsune-_san_?" Kanako asked, making the fox-like woman almost jump out of her skin. She smirked at this.

"Agh! _Kami_... Kanako-_san_, please don't do that." Kitsune replied, sighing with relief.

"_Gomen_. That's another quality of Keitaro's that I forgot to tell you about... writing. If I hadn't seen that, I wouldn't have remembered that he used to be a good writer when he was younger. Or so that's what Hina-_obaasan_ and Haruka-_obasan_ told me."

"I see."

Their attention was turned to the soft pattering of slippers against the stony ground. It was Haruka, with the wireless phone in her hand, and a slightly disheartened look on her face. Kanako and Kitsune noticed this.

"Haruka-_san_, what's wrong?" Kitsune asked, concerned.

"_Hai_. What is it, _obasan_?"

Haruka took a deep breath before starting.

"That was the institution," she said, quietly, with Kanako and Kitsune tensing up significantly at the word 'institution. "They want us to come tomorrow afternoon..."

"Why?" Kanako asked, her eyes misting up increasingly.

"...It's a custody hearing. To determine whether Keitaro can stay with us, or go back to the institution."

The tears that had been threatening to fall for some time finally did so, as Kanako held her hands to her face and wept. Kitsune sat there, her brain going over those last words to make sense of what was going on.

_No... so, that means... Kei-kun may be leaving?_

She sat like that for a while, her silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER FOURTEEN_ :::**

* * *

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTE :::**

As you have probably noticed, I edited the ending of this chapter to suit the one I am currently writing. If you are disappointed, then I apologise, but over a month of writer's block has caused this.

_- GaC -_


	15. Dr Aoki

**::: Keitaro, The Savant :::**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -

* * *

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTE :::**_

No, I'm not including another song. Nya.

For anyone who's not noticed, I edited the end of the previous chapter to fit the beginning of this one. I just could not come up with any ideas for the one I originally had in mind, so... my apologies.

* * *

"..." - denotes speech.  
"(...)" - denotes whispering.  
((...)) - denotes settings and time.  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Fifteen_ :::** _Dr. Aoki

* * *

_

**((Hinata Sou, Front))  
****((8.19 pm))**

Haruka was standing out at the front of Hinata Sou with Kanako, a lit cigarette in hand. She was talking to a woman who was wearing glasses, dressed in a striped shirt and black trousers, and had long, black hair tied back into a ponytail. The early evening sky was clear, a few traces of clouds scattered in the sky as the sun was setting.

"So, Dr. Myozuki," Haruka started, taking a drag on her cigarette, "what's this about?"

The woman named Dr. Myozuki cleared her throat.

"Tomorrow morning, you will be meeting Dr. Aoki, who is in charge of Keitaro's psychiatric evaluation." She replied.

"_Hai_, I know."

"I gave her boxes of files on Keitaro."

"Well, good luck." Kanako commented, a hint of a taunt in her voice.

Dr. Myozuki turned to face Kanako.

"Look, Kanako-_san_," she stated, "this is no close call; it's a formality. Your brother is severely disabled."

Kanako placed her hands on her hips defiantly.

"So, what are you trying to say? That Aoki is going to rule against us? Is that why you came up here?"

"No, I'm just telling you that it's always been a lost cause."

"So, what you're trying to say is that you can't lose?" Haruka asked.

"_Hai_, I can lose; I can lose Keitaro. I happen to care about your nephew's life and the treatment he receives."

Kanako's face contorted into that of fury upon hearing that last sentence. _That better not be a suggestion that we don't care about him! I bet she hasn't even spent twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with him!_

"Are you saying that we couldn't care less about Keitaro?!" She hissed, venom dripping from her words. "Are you trying to say that we're not capable of providing Keitaro with the care he needs, with or without professional guidance?!"

_Uh oh..._ Haruka thought.

"N-No," Dr. Myozuki replied, shaken slightly by Kanako's vehemence, "I'm saying that I made a commitment to your parents some thirteen years ago. I'm not even willing to gamble the trust they placed in me."

Haruka was about to start speaking again before she was cut off by the piercing screeching of the smoke alarm.

_That's coming from the kitchen..._ she thought. Her eyes widened and her face turned pale, the cigarette dropping from her lips onto the ground as she realised something. _Oh, no... Keitaro's in there!_

She and Kanako went inside, racing towards the kitchen. Dr. Myozuki, even more bemused, followed them in.

* * *

**((Hinata Sou, Kitchen))  
****((8.23 pm))**

Upon reaching the kitchen, Kanako and Haruka could see a small amount of smoke escaping from the slight gap between the ajar door and the door frame. Fearing the worst, they both ran in to find that the source of the smoke was the microwave. Keitaro was in the far corner of the kitchen near the back door, on his knees while hitting his head continuously against the wall, his hands covering his ears to block out the sound. Haruka dashed over to the microwave and switched it off, while Kanako opened the windows to allow the smoke to escape. They both then ran over to Keitaro to calm him down and prevent him from causing further injury.

"Keitaro!" Kanako yelled above the smoke alarm as Haruka grabbed a chair and stood on it, pressing the button on the alarm to turn it off. "Don't worry, it's stopped... it's alright."

Keitaro removed his hands from his ears and stood up, seemingly shaken from the cacophony. After calming him down, Kanako took him over to the table, noticing that Naru had come running into the kitchen upon hearing the commotion. The other residents had seemingly been attracted, as they walked into the kitchen and crowded around the table, followed by Dr. Myozuki who stood next to Keitaro.

"What happened? Is Keitaro alright?" Kitsune asked frantically, concerned for the _kanrinin_'s safety.

"_Hai_, he's okay," Haruka replied, to which Kitsune released a sigh of relief, holding one of Keitaro's hands with hers. She turned to face Naru. "What did happen, Naru?" Haruka asked. "I remember that you were in the kitchen with him."

Naru looked up at Haruka.

"K-Keitaro wanted something to eat that had to be heated in the microwave..." Naru stammered, "so I decided I thought he would be okay as I wouldn't be gone for that long. As I was coming out, I heard the smoke alarm go off and ran down here..."

She trailed off as Kanako gave her a hard, brain-rattling slap across her right cheek, a malicious glint in her eyes which made her flinch.

"I don't care if you weren't going to be long..." she hissed, leering in her face, "you should NEVER leave _oniichan_ alone with things that he should not be allowed to use unoccupied!"

"G-_Gomen_..."

"Spare me your apologies..." Kanako sighed, waving off Naru's apology and walking away with Keitaro, taking him back to his room. Haruka sighed and shook her head.

_I understand how much she loves Keitaro,_ she thought, _but that girl is way too protective for her own good..._

Everyone turned to look at Keitaro, who was rocking back and forth repeatedly in the chair with his hands raised to his head, mumbling something unintelligible to all except Kanako. She felt a sting shoot through her body as she heard what he was saying.

"(Time to go home now... time to go home.)"

* * *

**((The next morning...))  
****((Hinata Town, Tram Station))  
****((11.41 am))**

Kitsune, Kanako, Keitaro and Haruka stepped off the tram, having arrived at their intended destination - the opposite side of the small hot spring town nearest to the suburbs. All in all, the journey took at least two hours, which was surprising as the town is fairly small. They walked towards the large flight of steps that loomed over them; in a way, very similar to those of Hinata Sou, except they seemed to be a lot steeper, with handrails at the side. Kanako, Kitsune and Haruka looked up, the latter two amazed at the size of the elevation.

_Even after two months, this place still hasn't changed since I was last here._ Kanako thought. deeply sighing.

The previous day had been like a ticking time bomb for the three women. Kanako could not bear the thought of only being able to see her _oniichan_ on a weekly basis, rather than being able to see him every day so she would know he was being properly looked after and well-fed; the end result being her not being able to sleep, wanting time to tick by as slowly as possible as she cried, unknown to the others. The hours that counted down to that particular morning seemed to mount up her anxiousness. Kitsune was the same, reaction-wise. The feelings she developed for Keitaro during his time at Hinata Sou were very strong, having met a man with such innocence, despite his deficiencies when it came to socialising and communicationg with other people; thus, the thought of not being able to see him day after day seemed entirely incomprehensible.

Haruka, being the only one to have known Keitaro the longest alongside Grandma Hina and Kanako, took the news the worst. Although around the other residents she put up an barrier in an effort to hide her emotions from them, her eyes were no longer the chocolate brown marbles with a core of unbreakable diamond; instead, they were like windows, letting everyone peer into her soul and able to see her feelings - something that she kept to herself, literally under lock and key. Unknown to the other residents, she spent the rest of the evening and night laid on her futon, eventually crying herself to sleep; waking up in the morning with puffy, bloodshot eyes.

What surprised the three completely, however, was the reactions of the other tenants as soon as they broke the news that evening at supper time. Naru and Motoko's were the most shocking. They both knew that if the custody hearing was lost and Keitaro had to go back, they would never be able to make up for what they attempted to do upon his arrival at the old inn; actions of which they were reminded of in the most harsh way. Shinobu, although having not spent a great deal time with the _kanrinin_, grew to become accustomed to his presence and would be saddened to see him go back. While Su had kept her usual cheery exterior, she too was saddened at the news of the institution's phone call. Mutsumi, out of the rest of the residents, took this news the worst. To her, it felt as if a large part of her heart was going to be grabbed and ripped away from her. Upon hearing the news, her normally optimistic and carefree attitude was dampened significantly, her eyes beginning to glaze over with tears almost immediately. She, Kanako and Kitsune spent nearly the whole of the night into the early hours with Keitaro sat on the roof; not necessarily to talk with him, but to bask in his heartwarming presence, with Kanako retiring to the bedroom as soon as she felt her tears appearing in her eyes again, waving off any questions with the excuse that she was feeling tired and needed to sleep.

Taking a deep breath, they walked up the steps.

* * *

**((Hinata Institution, Front))  
****((11.44 am))**

The four reached the top of the steps, staring at the building that towered over them. Haruka and Kitsune looked up in awe at the massive building.

_This looks exactly the same as Keitaro's drawings..._ Kitsune thought, her eyes opening slightly. _It's so big..._

_I almost forgot how similar this place was to Hinata Sou..._ Haruka thought, similarly.

The massive structure did, indeed, look like a modernised version of Hinata Sou. The only difference between the two was that this building was about six floors high, rather than four floor high like the old inn. It was also similar to a university campus, with smaller buildings surrounding the main complex. They also noticed that there was a part that looked like a gradual hillside path, seemingly for those who were wheelchair-bound who wanted to go down to the bottom of the hill. Behind the buildings was what looked like a small area of woodland. After looking in awe at the area around them for a few minutes, they went inside the main building.

* * *

**((Hinata Institution, Lobby))  
****((11.47 am))**

While the exterior of the building was similar to Hinata Sou in many ways, the interior was strikingly different. The lobby had a lignum vitae reception desk in the corner nearest to the double sliding doors. The floor consisted of chequered marble tiles, with the parts above the dado rail running the length of the lobby painted white and the parts below the dado rail painted a chocolate brown, with the door frames painted the same colour.

(**A/N:** Lignum vitae is, apparently, the hardest wood on Earth.)

Haruka walked over to the reception desk while Kanako, Keitaro and Kitsune sat down on seats placed in a row from one end of the lobby to the other.

"_Konnichiwa_, how many I help you?" greeted the receptionist.

"We have an appointment with Dr. Aoki at 12.45 pm."

"Okay. And your name?"

"Haruka Urashima."

The receptionist typed in a few details.

"Ah, _hai_. You're his next of kin. Since Aoki-_san_ is in a meeting for another hour, would you like a tour of this institution?"

Haruka shook her head.

"No, thank you. My niece over there knows this place like the back of her hand," she replied, motioning to Kanako.

The receptionist looked over.

"Oh, that's right..." she said, a smile on her face. "_Gomen_; I forgot that she was your niece."

Haruka smiled.

"She can show us around, if that's fine?"

The receptionist nodded.

"_Hai_, of course." She reached below the desk and took out four ball-bearing chains with cards on them. "But take these passes with you. These indicate that you have permission to walk around anywhere on the site.

Haruka took the cards and thanked the receptionist before walking back over to Kanako, Keitaro and Kitsune. Placing one chain over her head, she handed the remaining three to them.

"Lead the way, Kanako." Haruka stated.

They walked through the double doors furthest from the desk and walked down the corridor.

* * *

**((Later...))  
****((Hinata Institution, Lobby))  
****((12.39 pm))**

Kitsune, Kanako, Haruka and Keitaro were back in the lobby after the tour around the complex by Kanako. The fox-eyed woman seemed to be showing signs of sadness, not only for the upcoming meeting, but also for what she saw during the tour.

_I knew there were people that were mentally, physically and socially inhibited..._ she thought, the tears welling up in her eyes. _But I never knew that there were some so severely disabled that they can never speak. Kanako-san said that some of the patients here were abandoned by their parents due to the burden of looking after them... how can people be so cruel and cold-hearted? Disabled people are human beings, too!_ She recalled a moment during the tour, where she met one particular patient. _So he is affected by a disorder called Down's Syndrome... despite his deficiencies, he was so sweet - and cute - in many ways. Just like Keitaro. Heck, most of them were... it's just a shame a few of them refused to meet strangers._ She smiled sadly, wiping the tears from her eyes. _Keitaro seemed to remember a few of them, too; same for the staff._

Keitaro was sitting between both Kitsune and Kanako, rocking back and forth gently while making repetitive, fidgety movements with his hands, reciting phrases possibly heard on TV programs in a subdued mantra.

Kanako and Haruka were both sitting in ruminative silence. They were trying not to think of the outcome of this particular meeting, wanting to get it over and done with before making predictions; despite their best efforts, however, they failed in doing so, with Kanako looking close to tears. Haruka put up her usual indifferent composure so as to not let her feelings be known, yet the upcoming meeting affected her greatly. The amount of affection she had for Keitaro was no secret. She treated him with the same amount of respect as a regular human, if not more because of his inability to 'fit in' with the rest of society due to his inhibitions. Nobody, however, could love him any more than Kanako. Whereas such a meeting increased the fear of losing her brother once again - a scenario she could not even bear to think about - she'd be more than willing to fight for him with such passion and fervour because of the affection she had for him.

Their attentions were captured by the sound of footsteps resounding on the hard marble floor. Looking up, they found a member of staff walking towards them, wearing a plain sky-blue shirt and black trousers, her wire-framed glasses tilted down the bridge of her nose, carrying a clipboard. Her blond hair was wavy and almost shoulder length, her facial features indicating that she could not have been any more than twenty-four years old, possibly having just graduated from University. Wearing a polite smile on her face, she bowed politely to the four.

"_Konnichiwa_," she greeted. "My name is Dr. Aoki. Would you like to follow me to the meeting room?"

Kanako, Kitsune, Haruka and Keitaro stood up, following the young doctor into the said room.

* * *

**((Hinata Institution, Meeting Room))  
****((12.46 pm))**

"Now, in this kind of proceeding," Dr. Aoki stated, "there are no lawyers, no judiciary, no legalities whatsoever; just the people who care about Keitaro."

She pulled four seats out, two on each side of the table, before pulling out a chair at the head of the table. Dr. Myozuki stood beside her young colleague.

"Keitaro-_san_, why don't you sit there?" Aoki continued, pointing to a seat near to her. "Kanako-_san_; you sit next to Keitaro. And... sorry, may I ask your name?" she asked, looking at Kitsune.

"Mitsune. Konno Mitsune." Kitsune replied.

"Okay, Konno-_san_; opposite Keitaro, next to Haruka-_san_."

"_Hai_."

Kitsune sat down in her designated seat. Keitaro was still standing, looking around curiously.

"Keitaro?" Aoki asked softly, motioning to the seat. "Right here."

No response.

"Keitaro, have a seat. Okay?"

"Yeah."

Keitaro sat down.

"Now," Aoki continued. "I don't know an easy way to say this --"

"Say what?" Kanako interrupted. "That we've already lost?"

"No, not at all. I'm merely a doctor making a recommendation to the courts. Now, I must tell you that Dr. Myozuki is a very well-respected and experienced professional. Keitaro's case has been documented punctiliously over the last thirteen years, and this institution is one of the finest we have in Japan."

Kanako smirked indignantly, holding her hands up in defeat while getting ready to stand up.

"Well, it looks as if you've already come to a decision. We'll see you in court."

"Now, Kanako-_san_ --" Dr. Myozuki said in an attempt to make Kanako calm down.

"_Oniichan_ came further with me, Haruka-_obasan_ and Kitsune-_san_ in two months than he did with any of you in thirteen years!" Kanako fumed, her patience beginning to wear thin quicker than normal. "You know nothing about us!"

Haruka stood up and tried to calm Kanako down, sitting down.

"I don't think it's necessary to challenge Dr. Myozuki, Kanako-_san_..." Aoki stated.

"_Gomen_..."

Aoki turned to Keitaro.

"What did you do in these two months, Keitaro?"

"Well, we --" Kitsune started before she was cut off.

"I was asking Keitaro, Konno-san. Keitaro? What did you do in these two months?"

Keitaro didn't reply.

"What did you do, Keitaro?"

"Drew. Wrote. Went to beach. Built sandcastle. Danced with Otohime Mutsumi."

"Danced with Otohime Mutsumi?" Aoki replied, looking between Kanako, Kitsune and Haruka.

"Mutsumi is one of the residents at Hinata Sou. She's pretty fond of him. He wanted to learn how to dance, so she taught him." Haruka replied.

"Danced on beach with Kitsune. Kissed Kitsune."

"Kissed Kitsune?"

"Yeah. On the beach. Pretty beach; gold sand and clear water."

Myozuki and Aoki both smiled slightly.

"Did you enjoy kissing a girl?"

"Don't know."

"How did it feel?"

"Felt wet."

"Wet?" Myozuki repeated, giggling slightly. "Nice?"

"Yeah. On the beach. Felt nice kissing on the beach."

Aoki's smile widened.

"Did you enjoy the holiday?"

"Yeah."

The two doctors turned to face Kanako and Haruka. Aoki cleared her throat.

"Did he have any emotional outbursts in the past two months?" She asked.

"How do you mean?" Kanako said.

"In other words, the mannerisms they tend to do out of frustration or anxiety, such as inflicting bodily harm on themselves or having tantrums?"

"_Hai_, about three or four times." Haruka replied.

"He had what you call an outburst because one of the other residents he was a bit doubtful about touched him when he went to clean his dish and cup, another one when a stranger ruined his sandcastle." Kanako stated.

"When was the most recent one?" Myozuki asked.

"This morning. The smoke alarm went off and he got nervous." Kanako sighed. "You know, I could tell you nothing, or I could tell you anything; either way you'd never know the difference. This morning, the alarm went off, and as I said, he got nervous..."

"Kanako-_san_, don't feel as if I'm placing the blame on anyone here; that's not what I'm doing. You don't have to be so defensive about it all."

"I'm just being as honest as I can about this."

"I think you're missing the point here."

"No, if there's anyone who's missing the point, it's you; I'm telling the truth here."

"The point I was trying to make was that I'm not pointing the finger at anyone, so to speak..."

"I didn't hurt him; he's not hurting us, we're not hurting you. Why are you interfering in our personal business? This is our family! Do you understand?"

"_Hai_, _hai_; I do."

"Kanako-_san_," Dr. Myozuki intervened. "The point is that your big brother is not capable with having a proper relationship with you, Haruka-_san_, Konno-_san_ or anyone else at Hinata Sou."

"You're entitled to your opinion; that much I can't deny," Haruka sighed, shaking her head, "but tell me. Have you ever spent twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with him? Have you ever done that throughout the thirteen years he has been here?"

"I'm sorry if I sound offensive here, but you cannot take on the responsibility of caring for Keitaro without the guidance of professionals."

"That's your opinion."

"_Hai_."

Aoki opened a folder and took out some papers.

"There are a few things in this file, however, that I would like to go over. Dr. Myozuki tells me that when Keitaro first arrived at Hinata Sou, there were two tenants by the names of Narusegawa Naru and Aoyama Motoko who weren't very happy at the fact that Keitaro was allowed to reside there? I was also told that they ignored him and spoke negatively to him, even though they were informed of his disability? Is that correct?"

"They were upset as Hinata Sou was converted into an all-girls dormitory, so that was pretty much inevitable. But I know that doesn't excuse their attitude. They've warmed up to him over the past two months, however, and have come to understand him a lot more."

"So now, during the duration of two months, they came to understand your nephew, found some sort of devotion to him and want to help care for him?"

"_Hai_. You see, they made a connection."

Aoki nodded.

"I think it's admirable that they have come to make a connection with Keitaro. However, the whole purpose of this meeting is to determine what is best for Keitaro, whether or not he is capable of functioning in the community with the least problems possible, and - if it's possible to determine such a thing - what, in fact, he wants."

"I'm all for that." Kanako replied.

"Keitaro's unable to make these kind of decisions." Dr. Myozuki stated.

"That's where you're wrong."

"Kanako-_san_, you of all people should know that he is not capable of making decisions for himself."

Kanako turned to face Dr. Myozuki.

"He is capable of more than you think."

"Well, why not ask Keitaro and see if we can find some answers?"

"Go ahead."

Aoki turned so she was facing Keitaro.

"Keitaro, can I ask you some questions?"

No reply.

"Kei-_kun_," Kitsune said softly, "the doctor is talking to you."

"Yeah."

"Keitaro, can I ask you some questions?" Aoki repeated.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to stay at Hinata Sou?"

Yet again, no reply. Keitaro was sat in the chair, staring into space.

"Keitaro? Would you like to stay at Hinata Sou?"

Kanako took one of Keitaro's hands in hers.

"Kei, the doctor is asking you a question. You listen to her, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Keitaro," Aoki continued, "would you like to stay at Hinata Sou with your sister and aunt?"

"Yeah."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

Pause.

"You want to stay with your sister and aunt?"

"Yeah. Stay with Ka-_chan_, Haruka-_obasan_ and Kitsune."

"That's what you want?"

"Yeah."

Another pause, this time more brief.

"You want to stay with them?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you something else, Keitaro?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to come back here?"

"Yeah."

"Keitaro, are you able to tell the difference between Hinata Sou and here?"

"Yeah."

Another brief pause.

"Keitaro, do you want to stay at Hinata Sou --"

"Yeah."

"-- or do you want to come back here?"

"Yeah."

Kanako, Kitsune and Haruka bowed their heads solemnly.

"They're two separate things, Keitaro," Dr. Myozuki said, "one or the other."

"Go back here, stay with Ka-_chan_, Haruka-_obasan_ and Kitsune."

"Okay..." Kanako tried intervening, only to find she could not be heard.

"Come back, stay with Ka-_chan_, Haruka-_obasan_ and Kitsune..."

"No, Keitaro. You have to make a choice."

The cacophony of voices directed towards Keitaro became too much for Kanako, who had heard enough.

"Just hang on a minute!" she exclaimed, rising from her chair. "That's enough! Don't you think you've made your point? Look, you're humiliating him."

Her face softened as she turned to face Keitaro, who was beginning to rock back and forth while holding his fingertips against his temples, indicating that his anxiety was increasing.

"Kei, it's okay. They've stopped."

"Yeah," he replied weakly. "Come back and stay with Ka-_chan_, Haruka-_obasan_ and Kitsune. Back here."

"Don't worry, it's okay." Kitsune cooed.

"Keitaro?" Aoki asked.

"Yeah."

After yet another pause, Aoki and Dr. Myozuki turned to face each other.

"Dr. Myozuki, may I talk to you for a moment?"

Dr. Myozuki nodded, standing up and exiting the room with her younger colleague, closing the door behind them as they left.

"You don't want any more qustions, do you, Kei?" Haruka asked in a subdued tone.

"N-No... don't know..."

"Don't worry, Kei-_kun_," Kitsune said, standing up and walking over to him, taking his hand in hers and stroking it with her thumb, "there won't be any more questions. We'll make sure of that."

"Yeah, main women."

The three women had a look of surprise on their face.

"_Nani_?"

"Main women."

A sad smile spread across their faces.

"Listen..." Kitsune said, taking Aoki's seat. "We don't know if we're going to get the chance to talk to you again. Because... Dr. Myozuki and Dr. Aoki really seem to like you, and will probably want for you to come back here, _ne_? But, I just want you to know that what I said about connecting... I meant it."

A long silence passed between all four people, with tears starting to well in their eyes; particularly in those of Kanako and Kitsune. What surprised them all, however, was when Keitaro leaned in towards Kitsune and placed his forehead against Kitsune's. The fox-eyed woman opened her eyes fully in surprise, but closed them again. Kanako and Haruka managed to force a sad smile at the display of affection Keitaro has shown for Kitsune. This could not have been a more perfect moment for the said woman, sharing a meaningful moment with the only man she ever had true feelings for ever since she was a high school student.

_That's the closest he's ever willingly gotten to someone outside the family..._ Haruka and Kanako thought simultaneously, still smiling. _Heh... Kitsune-san should be honoured._

The silence remained for a few moments longer, before Kitsune broke it.

"I love having you at Hinata Sou; so do Kanako-san and Haruka-san," Kitsune said, her voice beginning to waver as she resisted the urge to cry.

Keitaro looked up towards the ceiling.

"Yeah."

Kitsune placed a hand on the back of his head and gave him a light kiss on the forehead, then walked over to the window and stared out, the tears beginning to slide down her cheeks.

"K-I-T-S-U-N-E. H-A-R-U-K-A. K-A-N-A-K-O." Keitaro said, still staring up at the ceiling.

The three women turned around to face Keitaro after hearing him spell their names out.

"K-I-T-S-U-N-E. H-A-R-U-K-A. K-A-N-A-K-O. Main women."

* * *

**::: _END CHAPTER FIFTEEN_ :::**

* * *

**::: AUTHOR'S NOTE :::**

I've finally decided on how this will end, as the next chapter is the final one... yes, I know this is shorter than I said it would be, but some chapters I had planned didn't exactly come into fruition. I won't say how it ends (obviously - who would? :P), but I can tell you that, as a bonus chapter after the next one, will be the original ending I had in mind. If you are happy enough with the next chapter, then you don't have to read it.

Anyway, apologies for such a late update. Work at college has been pretty arduous, and it doesn't help that I have two exams coming up in early January. And also, apologies for all the 'yeahs'... you've probably never seen so many of them in one chapter. I also apologise for the crappy formatting. Damn QuickEdit.

That, and the fact that this was the hardest chapter I've had to write so far. So I understand if it's pretty mediocre. But the next chapter will definitely overshadow this one in terms of difficulty...

The part at the end where Keitaro spells Kitsune, Haruka and Kanako's names out and says they're his 'main women' was another part inspired by 'Rain Man'. The scene in question is very near the end of the film after Raymond's evaluation, and is between Charlie and Raymond after the psychiatrists leave the room. After Charlie's 'monologue' (with some very sad, slow music in the background, I might add), Raymond spells out his name and calls him his 'main man' - a title that was reserved for his carer while he was staying at Wallbrook; the institution. No matter how many times I watch that scene, it always gets the waterworks going... (starts sobbing).

Ahem. Don't expect the next chapter to be posted up anytime soon, because I have no idea about how I am going to set it out...


	16. A Phone Call Can Change It All

**: Keitaro, The Savant :**

by

_- GlazedAndConfused -_

* * *

"..." - denotes speech.  
"(...)" - denotes whispering.  
_Italics_ denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.

* * *

**_Chapter Sixteen_ :** _A Phone Call Can Change It All

* * *

_

Time; a very unusual feature of human life. It can pass in the blink of an eye, or it can move slower than a snail's pace. When you expect it to go fast, it never does. When you wish for the moment of a lifetime to last for exactly that, it only seems to last for a fraction of a second before it is all over. For four people, time is moving as slow as it possibly could; Haruka and Kanako Urashima, the aunt and niece. Mitsune Konno, the fox. And finally, Mutsumi Otohime. The same four people who had gotten closest to their autistic _kanrinin_ ever since he had entered their lives. And now, there was a fifty percent chance that particular part of their lives which occupied a large space in their hearts was going to be ripped from their chests, away... possibly never to be seen again; if not rarely.

Speaking of whom...

Kanako never returned to Hinata Sou that afternoon after the meeting at the Hinata institution. There would be no point in doing so; no matter how much she wanted to her _oniichan_ for what would most probably be the last time, she couldn't bring herself to do so. It wasn't that she did not care any longer for him - that was further from the truth than could be. Everybody knew how much she adored and cared for him; it was just that she did not want her sadness and melancholy to rub off on Keitaro, and inevitably making him sad too. Although she couldn't care less about how Motoko and Naru felt after their initial reactions towards Keitaro's instatement into the dormitory and eventually being made _kanrinin_, she didn't want any of the other residents to pick up on how she felt.

Particularly the former two.

She was sat under a tree on a hill that overlooked the sea and the buildings below, the sun having just finalised it's descent as the moon began its journey upwards to the highest point of the sky. The silver pendant around her neck that rested above her chest gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight, the stars making the piece of jewellery look as if it were encrusted with only the best diamonds that could be salvaged. The younger Urashima sibling stared up into the sky at the full moon, its clearness and crystalline hue resembling a highly-polished silver platter up in the sky; the pallid glimmer reflecting off the surface of the sea and back into the night sky. The stars looked like silver sequins sewn into a midnight blue fabric. Each of the stars seemed to form a constellation of the _kanrinin_, complete with the innocent yet emotionless look on his face that everyone had become ever so accustomed to.

She was not alone, however. Her years of training in the Urashima art of _jiu-jitsu_ also made her senses a lot sharper than those of an a untrained person. The sound of rustling fallen leaves and grass caused by footsteps could be heard from about ten feet way. Lifting her head to see who it is, she could see Mutsumi walking towards her, wearing her generic green jumper, brown overalls and brown boots. She too was wearing a solemn look on her face, but she was still able to manage a smile.

Kanako's face was a direct contrast. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from where she had been crying almost endlessly; her cheeks stained with tear streaks. She had her arms wrapped around herself, trembling violently. This aroused feelings of concern in the Okinawan woman, who sat beside the younger Urashima girl and placed a friendly arm around her. Kanako then did something unexpected; she literally threw herself into Mutsumi's embrace, almost as if she was trying to weld her body into her friend's, wrapping her arms around her and holding on as if the world was going to end. For the umpteenth time that day, the tears began to fall down her cheeks again, her body being wracked like tidal waves crashing against the sea by uncontrollable sobs.

"Mutsumi-_san_..." Kanako managed to get out in a strangled cry.

"Look, Kanako-_san_," Mutsumi said, standing up while placing both hands on Kanako's cheeks. "You know that me and Kitsune-_san_ feel the same way as you. If Kei-_kun_ does have to go back, then yes, we will all be sad. Even Motoko-_san_ and Naru-_san_ will be sad. But it's not all that bad. You can still visit him. I'm sure that's not a problem with the people at the institution. He will need family members to keep visiting him anyway, to assure him that he is still loved and thought about." She gave the younger Urashima sibling a reassuring kiss on the forehead and stood up, giving her a friendly smile, then turned and walked back to Hinata Sou.

As she stared at the retreating form of the Okinawan watermelon girl, a small, unsightly smile formed on her face as she whispered to herself.

"_Arigato_, Mutsumi-_san_."

She looked back up at the crystalline moon and stayed there, sat at her spot under the tree for the rest of the night, well into the morning.

* * *

The next morning.

Back at Hinata Sou, in the _onsen_, Haruka was having thoughts not unlike those of her niece. _At any time during today, we'll all know whether or not Keitaro will be allowed to stay here for as long as he likes, or whether he will have to... go back,_ she mused as she bathed in the hot waters. By now, the wait had become unbearable, almost as if every minute that had passed was taunting her and rubbing the fact that she may soon lose her disabled nephew right in her face. For that, she felt extremely bitter.

It was like adding salt and vinegar to a fresh wound.

Despite the warmth emanating from the steamy waters, her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she reached for a towel in the shower area.

After drying herself off, Haruka got dressed into fresh clothes, trying to put up a barrier of confidence. This attempt failed - miserably. Once she exited the changing rooms and went back into the house, she looked the complete definition of a nervous wreck; for the time being, a shadow of her former self. Not wanting any of the other residents to see her in such a frail and melancholic state, she rushed out of the dormitory and ran down the large flight of stone steps, back down to the tea shop.

Once she arrived, Haruka closed the door and locked it, flipping over the sign on the door so it read 'Closed'. Feeling as if all her strength had been sucked out of her, she staggered behind the bar and went upstairs into her room, opening up the cupboard and taking out a 'special' bottle of saké. She was barely able to stop her shaking hands from spilling the entire contents of the bottle onto the floor as she poured the liquor into a small glass cup. Raising the small glass to her lips, she sipped the amber liquid and poured herself some more. After about five glasses, she flopped down on her bed

_Keitaro... I hope you don't leave_, she mused. _You mean too much to me, Kanako, Kitsune and Mutsumi to leave us. Especially to Kitsune. You're the only man to have entered her life that actually meant a lot to her, ever since Seta left all those years ago._

* * *

The rest of Hinata Sou remained equally as morose and subdued. Motoko was up on the laundry deck, practicing her daily _katas_. The cold steel of the blade of her _katana_ glimmered brilliantly in the morning sunlight as she swept it down in an arc, slicing it through the air.

But there was something that was slightly abnormal about her movements today.

Her usual rigour and passion associated with her Shinmei Ryu kendo training was completely drained out of her. Normally, her movements would be elegant and perfect, entirely in tune with the movements of her blade.

In short, on her best days, she was the epitome of poetry in motion.

Today, her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. Her concentration was possibly at the lowest level it had been for a very long time. She knew that if Keitaro were to leave Hinata Sou and go back to the institution, his departure would partly be her and Naru's fault.

One of the most important rules of the Shinmei Ryu school of kendo was honour. All people should be treated with honour, no matter how evil or perverse they may seem. One of the most dishonourable deeds was to maim and possibly kill an unarmed, defenceless person; such an offence would lead to exclusion from the school.

Especially if they were unarmed and had no other means of attack.

Motoko, feeling that she could no longer concentrate, sheathed her sword and sat down on the wooden decking, leaning against the railings. She looked up into the sky, her black eyes no longer looking determined; instead they looked shattered and emotionless, resembling pools of guilt and remorse.

She knew that if Keitaro were to go back, she would never get the chance to atone for her sins towards him.

Even Shinobu seemed down. When she prepared lunch for everyone, her heart was not in her cooking; something which everybody noticed, as she normally cooks - like Motoko and her kendo training - with passion and fervour. The young violet-haired cook didn't even want to think of what the institution's decision may be that day.

* * *

Upstairs, Kitsune was – apart from Kanako – affected the worst. While she did spend a decent amount of time with the _kanrinin_ that night, alongside Mutsumi, she was not as sociable and carefree as normal. After Keitaro's arrival, she had cut down on her drinking habits quite a lot. In fact, she even went without a drink for a few nights. But ever since there was a chance that Keitaro would leave, the amount of alcohol consumption escalated once again.

_Damn_, she mused, solemnly. _We don't even know if he's actually going to be leaving yet, and I already miss him even though he's in the next room_. She tried forcing herself to try not to consider the possibility that she may never get the opportunity to be as close as she had been over the past few weeks ever again.

She may never even be able to see him ever again, if she was denied the rights to visit him – a possibility which was very doubtful in itself, yet still had a chance of happening.

Her room felt empty without his presence. In fact, _she_ felt empty without his presence too. Time lost all meanings it ever had as she sat there, a bottle of saké in hand, as she sat there thinking about how her life – as well as Kanako's, Mutsumi's and Haruka's – would be without Keitaro at the old dormitory every day. Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft knocking at her door.

"Who is it?" she whispered.

"It's Shinobu." Even the petite, violet-haired girl seemed downcast. "Dinner is ready."

Kitsune really did not feel like eating. "I'm really sorry Shinobu, but I'm not really hungry."

"Okay."

Each minute was like a different method of being tortured, except it didn't affect her on the same scale as it did Haruka and Kanako. The recurring image of a tram pulling out of the local station, with Keitaro and a member of staff carrying luggage leaving her and everyone else behind continued to haunt her, even when she was awake.

She could only think of two words for these recurrent feelings.

Separation anxiety.

* * *

The evening had arrived slower than the afternoon had, and everybody was sat in the lobby on the couches. Keitaro was sat between Kitsune and Kanako, with Mutsumi sat next to the foxy woman and Haruka sat next to her niece. Naru and Motoko were sat next to each other separated from the five, looking on with anxiety. Dinner had passed very slowly, with each minute seeming like an entire hour. The atmosphere was growing even more sad and morose as the time slid by. Everyone politely declined and stayed where they were when Shinobu went to make dinner.

In an effort to clear the air and perhaps even lighten up the mood, Naru stood up and walked over to the five.

"Hey," she spoke. "Keitaro may be staying. Nobody's called yet, have they? They may well see here as a good enough place for him to live."

"If you two hadn't treated him like dirt on your shoes when he first came here, maybe none of us would be going through this in the first place" Kanako snarled, her eyes glimmering an ominous hue of crimson. She was poised and ready to attack the first one who dared to speak back at her out of the kendo girl and the auburn-haired girl.

And Haruka knew it. She knew her niece all too well.

Motoko and Naru decided not to press such a delicate issue even further – which seemed to be the most sensible option considering the circumstances. They also knew that Kanako would inform the tea shop owner about the whole cleaning incident in the _onsen_ which occurred about a week after he arrived, and a day after he was instated as _kanrinin_. They sat down meekly – uncharacteristically for Motoko – and remained silent.

Then, the sound they all wanted to hear but did not want to anticipate began to ring through the lobby of the old dormitory.

The telephone.

Each brassy tone rung and pulsated through the room, the next one louder than the predecessor.

The residents had more or less the same expression on their faces.

Dread.

Anticipation.

Kanako had already stood up to answer the phone...

"No. I'll do it."

...but Haruka stopped her, speaking those four words with an utmost sense of finality. While Kanako was the one who constantly visited Keitaro the most, the tea shop owner was the one who's name was down on the 'Next Of Kin' list. The younger Urashima sibling, respecting her aunt's wish, sat back down beside her brother, wrapping her arms around his right arm. Slowly, Haruka stood up, and went over to the phone, staggering like a zombie. The colour in her cheeks was almost non-existant, as the stress from the waiting of the previous afternoon and the day up until now began to take it's toll on her. She put her hand on her phone, motioning for all the others to leave and wait in the kitchen until she was done on the phone - a request which they complied with respect.

Once everybody had left the room, Haruka forced her hand to lift up the phone.

Slowly.

Every passing second until the receiver reached her ear seemed like an eternity in itself.

Once the receiver had reached her ear, she spoke.

"H-Hello?"

* * *

Ten minutes later...

Everybody was sat patiently at the kitchen table, each with more or less the same expressions on their face as before. The repetitive ticking of the wall-mounted clock was the only noise that permeated through the thick layer of silence that lay in the kitchen, until the door was heard opening, to which their heads all snapped up at once.

Haruka looked as if she had seen a ghost, her face pale and her eyes lifeless. She staggered into the room.

"Well?" asked Naru. "What did they say?"

The tea shop owner looked up, her emotionless eyes boring through each of the other residents who had more or less walked over to her.

"They..." She stammered after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Her eyes watered, as her voice began to waver at the same time. Kanako, Kitsune and Mutsumi could already tell what the news was by her body language, though they decided to hear it from her first. "...They want Keitaro to come back."

Kitsune, Mutsumi and Kanako just stood there, feeling their world beginning to spin and crash down around them as the harshness of reality hit them like a slap in the face. They momentarily felt nauseous and dizzy, before regaining their composure; the three of them wearing blank, emotionless expressions. They blinked a few times before the tears started to well up in their eyes, falling hard and fast once the dams had broken.

The other residents simply just sat in a deeper silence than before.

"So... when are they expecting him back?" Naru asked to break the seemingly endless silence, her voice now a hushed whisper.

"Later, at 6.00." Haruka replied, her voice wavering as she decided not to keep her emotions hidden any longer. "Dr. Aoki will be there at the tram station waiting for us."

With that, Haruka went upstairs, slowly followed by Haruka, Kitsuneand Mutsumi, presumably to start packing Keitaro's belongings.

* * *

Two hours later.

_"May I have your attention please? The tram for western Hinata Town will be departing from Platform Two shortly. Please start boarding."_

Everyone from Hinata Sou slowly raised from their seats in the waiting room and walked out to the platform, where they saw Dr. Aoki stepping out of the tram door, wearing a pale blue blouse and a black pair of trousers. Strands of her long hair were blown about by the calm autumn breeze.

"Dr. Aoki." Haruka greeted monotonously, holding out her hand for a handshake.

"Urashima-_san_" Dr. Aoki replied in kind, returning the handshake and did the same to Kanako. She turned to Keitaro. "Hello, Keitaro."

"Hello."

Dr. Aoki smiled at Keitaro. She then turned to Haruka and Kanako. "I have the tickets, and I'll be in the third carriage from the front. Why don't you three spend a few more minutes with each other? I'm sure you'd appreciate it."

"_Arigato_."

She smiled at Kanako and Haruka. "See you two later," she said as she turned to go back into the carriage.

Both the female Urashimas turned to face Keitaro, sad smiles on both of their faces. "Here, Keitaro," Kanako said, holding the guitar she gave him out. "You'll have to carry this with you now. Your songbook is in your bag."

"Yeah." Keitaro replied.

"Kitsune, Mutsumi, Naru and Motoko have going away presents for you," Haruka continued, pulling out a book titled '_Brigate Rossoneri_: AC Milan(1899 - 1998)' and gave it to Keitaro.

Mutsumi walked up to Keitaro, takingout a watermelon which she was holding behind her back and gave it to him. "I hope you enjoy it, Kei-_kun_," she whispered, the tears that formed in her eyes falling down her cheeks. She then cupped Keitaro's cheeks with her hands and gave him a kiss on the lips, before walking back to the other residents. This left Motoko and Naru, who both walked up to him and held out their present. It was a brand new camera, seemingly to replace the one they had broken upon his arrival at the dormitory.

"This is for you, Urashima," Motoko said, showing the faintest signs of shame. "This is to replace the camera that I broke on you when you arrived. I wish to apologise not only for my own behaviour, but also on behalf of Naru-_sempai_ for what we both did. We hope that you can forgive us for our sins." The Shinmei Ryu heir bowed respectfully before Keitaro, then walked back to the other residents. Naru then held her arms out as if to offer a hug; an offer Keitaro accepted. After breaking off the hug, the auburn-haired girl gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Hope to see you soon, Keitaro." She said before walking back over to Motoko.

"Well, what do you say, Keitaro?" Haruka asked, grinning despite her sadness at her nephew's departure.

"_Arigato_, _minna_-_san_."

"All aboard!" the conductor on the platform called.

Kanako smiled lightly at Keitaro. "You better get going then, oniichan."

"Yeah. Metal tram."

"_Hai_. It is." The younger Urashima girl's face adopted a neutral expression. "Now oniichan, remember; Dr. Aoki only has custody of you. That's not to say that we can't visit you. Now, we're coming to visit you in two weeks. How many days is that?"

"Fourteen days from today. Today's Tuesday.."

Kanako smiled before giving him a hug. "Well done, Kei."

Keitaro then proceeded to walk up the small steps into the tram and stood in the doorway, facing everyone. Haruka walked up to him and gave him a hug too, holding the embrace for about ten seconds before giving him a kiss. "See you soon, Kei."

"Yeah."

Kitsune then walked up to the former _kanrinin_ and held his hands in both of hers. "Keitaro, I'd just like to thank you for being at Hinata Sou. You certainly changed our lives, you know. It was great having you there."

"Yeah."

The fox-eyed woman then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips, letting them linger for about the same amount of time as Haruka's hug, breaking off hesitantly.

"I'll see you soon." Kitsune said, her voice beginning to waver.

"Yeah." Keitaro looked around for a few moments while everybody was still boarding, before turning back. "It's one hour until dinner time."

Kitsune smiled. "Don't worry, you'll make it." She walked away from the tram and stood with the other residents, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks too. Just as she reached the other tenants, the tram started it's engine and started to slowly start it's journey away from the station. Asit pulled away, all the residents managed to wave goodbye at their former _kanrinin_, although he was too engrossed in his new book to notice until Dr. Aoki let him know that they were waving at him. He looked out the window and waved back until they were out of sight.

A few minutes passed until the rest of the residents decided to leave. Mutsumi, Kanako, Kitsune and Haruka, however, decided to stay behind even until the tram had disappeared from sight, left only with their memories of the time that Keitaro had spent with them and how he had affected everyone during this time.

_Oniichan..._ Kanako thought, wiping the tears from her eyes. _I will visit you. I'll also bring Haruka-obasan, Kitsune-san and Otohime-san._

Mutsumi, Haruka and Kanako then left the station to return to Hinata Sou, offering Kitsune to come with them to the tea shop; an offer she politely refused, as she wanted to be alone. Once the three women had gone, Kitsune looked down where the tram had left, tears rolling down her cheeks. She raised her hand to her lips and kissed her fingers, then held her arm up in the air as she waved, a sad smile forming on her face.

Only one thought was in her mind.

_Bye bye... Kei-kun. I will see you again._

_I promise._

* * *

**: _END_ :

* * *

**

**: AUTHOR'S NOTES :**

Well, this is it. The end of 'Keitaro, The Savant'. After six months. It took me a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would have to write, that's for sure. Writing this chapter was, indeed, the hardest of the whole lot, but I decided to write it down while I still had ideas in my head. I know this chapter is short, but there wasn't much else I could write - so it may seem slightly rushed. So, apologies if the ending seems pretty disappointing.

I promised that there would be a 'bonus' chapter at the end after this one. Well, sorry to break another promise, but there won't be. I took Mantis Man's advice on board when reading through the reviews again, and decided that it was better to not use alternate endings and just use one ending - thanks for that advice if you're reading, Mantis. ;)

All feedback is welcome. Look at my email address for my profile.


End file.
